DURBAN: India suffered a top-order collapse to slump to a humiliating 135-run defeat against a clinical South Africa in the first cricket one-dayer here on Wednesday.
Chasing 290 for victory, India were never in the hunt after they lost their first four batsmen for just 43 runs and were ultimately bundled out for 154 in 35.4 overs. Virat Kohli top-scored for India with a well-made 54 off 70 balls and together with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (25 off 35) added 52 runs for the fifth wicket to take India past the 150-mark. Apart from Kohli and Dhoni, Suresh Raina was the other notable contributory for India with 32 off 36 balls. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the pick of the South African bowlers with figures of four for 31 while pace partners Dale Steyn (2/29) and Morne Morkel (2/12) scalped two wickets apiece.Much was expected from new man in Yuvraj Singh but he too failed to live up to his reputation as he departed three balls later, nicking another to de Villiers off Morkel.
Soon after arriving at the pitch, Dhoni tried to force his way out of the trouble with some attacking shots but he too found the going tough against the disciplined Protea attack.India’s struggle can be gauged from the fact that they found the fence only twice in the first 15 overs. Kohli and Dhoni then played sensible cricket with ones and twos to steady the ship before Kohli opened up cloberring Joahn Botha for a straight six and a four off back-to-back deliveries in the 22nd over.Inspired by his junior team-mate’s strokeplay, Dhoni then broke his shackles with a boundary off Botha to pile up 15 runs of the 22nd over. But just when it seemed India were slowly and steadily getting back into the match, Dhoni fell victim to an unlucky run out. The Indian skipper was caught off guard when Wayne Parnell got a finger tip to a well-timed Kohli straight drive, which crashed into the stumps at the bowler’s end to draw curtains on the dangerous-looking partnership – Nation
