India take on South Africa in crucial ICC World Cup 2011 clash
India take on South Africa today in Nagpur in one of the most highly anticipated games of the ICC World Cup 2011.
India are unbeaten in the tournament so far, having played four matches, while South Africa are coming into this clash on the back of a narrow six-run defeat against England.
The clash between the top teams in this group is expected to be one of the most exciting games of the tournament. India being the home team is obviously at an advantage, since they are playing in familiar conditions. Nevertheless, the Proteas know how to
win games in the subcontinent, given their impressive record while playing in the region.
This clash will provide India a good opportunity to fully test their abilities, since they have not been troubled much by any other team in their group except for England. The Poms came close to beating the hosts, but that match ended in a draw after some
sensational batting by the English tailenders, and accurate bowling from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zaheer-Khan-c98451 in the death overs.
The mind games have already started ahead of the game, and this time the Proteas have drawn first blood by claiming that the Indians are going to be under more pressure than them, because they will be playing in front of their home crowd. The South Africans
believe that the Indians will not be able to cope with the pressure and might lose focus once the Proteas begin to dominate.
South African opener Hashim Amla, while trying to get under the skin of the Indian team said, “Being at home comes with a lot of expectation. I don't think the pressure is on us as much as it is on India."
The two teams are the strongest in Group B and this clash will decide who captures top spot in the standings. However, considering South Africa’s past performances, they have always choked when the going gets tough. This favours the Indians because they
have always been a very tough side to beat at home.
Graeme Smith’s men have already choked once in the ongoing tournament, while chasing a meagre total against England. The Proteas failed to chase 171 runs, which by all standards was an achievable total. The Africans will be hoping to avoid a repeat of that
batting performance in the remaining matches of the tournament.
Ever since India succeeded in becoming the number one team in Test cricket, the India-South Africa rivalry has become more intense in a bid to see who the best team really is in the world of cricket. Just three months back India toured South Africa hoping to
clinch their first series victory in that part of the world. Although India failed in their quest, the Test and ODI series was a closely fought contest.
However, now that the stakes are higher than ever before, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 would want to beat India to brush off
their label of chokers in crunch games. If rain doesn’t ruin the game and the strategies of any team don’t go awry, this will be a closely fought encounter.
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