What do the Proteas need to do to beat India at the Wanderers

Following South Africa’s 11-run defeat in Centurion on Wednesday night, India currently lead the four-match series 2-1 heading into Friday’s final T20 International at the Wanderers in Johannesburg (5pm start).

Cricket writer Ongama Gcwabe highlights three things the Proteas need to do to win the match and level the series at the Bullring ...

Top-order runs

The elephant in the room has been addressed at length throughout the week: the Proteas top-order has been quiet all series.

Apart from Tristan Stubbs, who bats at No.4, the rest of the top-order have had a horrid series, a situation that has led to South Africa being on the edge of falling to their fifth T20I series loss.

Despite the starts that openers Ryan Rickelton and Reeza Hendricks have had, they are yet to take full advantage of the first powerplay, which is essentially what they are selected for as openers.

It doesn’t help either when the No.3 batter, captain Aiden Markram, is in the worst of form.

In T20 cricket, the top-order often dictate the fate of the team, which makes Rickelton, Hendricks and Markram the most important batters in the line-up heading into the fourth and final match of the series.

Discipline with the ball

The loss in Centurion could also be pointed in the direction of the bowlers. The Proteas attack lacked discipline through India’s batting innings, and were ruthlessly punished by a determined Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma.

There were too many bad balls, and in a stadium as small as SuperSport Park, batters will clear the boundary at this level.

Moreover, the Proteas conceded 19 extras on Wednesday, including 10 wides and three no-balls, which ultimately cost the team the game.

Going into the Wanderers on Friday, it will be very important for Marco Jansen and the rest of the attack to maintain discipline and give the Indians no freebies.

The case for Nqaba Peter

The Wanderers Stadium has always been known to be a fast-bowlers’ paradise, due to the bouncy and quick nature of the pitch in Johannesburg.

However, in the last couple of years, the surface at the Bullring has tended to favour spin a lot more.

Spinners such as Nqaba Peter, who calls the Wanderers home as a Lions player, have been very successful at the ‘Bullring’.

This suggests that the 22-year-old wrist-spinner should play on Friday in place of a seamer, having missed out at Centurion on Wednesday.

The pace with which Peter bowls and his ability to turn the ball both ways proved to be a challenge for the Indian batters in the first two matches, and one would think the youngster would continue in the same light at his home ground on Friday.