South Africa vs India: Arshdeep’s timely dismissal of Tony de Zorzi prompts a collapse and takes India to ODI series win | Cricket News
The moment Arshdeep Singh’s late-curving yorker slammed Tony de Zorzi’s pads, the left-armer began his celebrappeal. The umpire’s disagreement only added to the drama, as Arshdeep implored KL Rahul, the captain-wicketkeeper, to seek a review. Not someone to be swayed the often-misplaced enthusiasm of bowlers, Rahul relented.The review vindicated Arshdeep’s convictions. Rahul, Arshdeep and the fielders screamed euphorically. That, then, was the moment they knew. And so it turned out to be, as India defeated South Africa 78 runs to claim the series.
Though South Africa bat deep, de Zorzi (81 off 87 balls) posed the biggest threat. More than even David Miller, the supreme finisher who mustered only 10 sticky runs. As long as de Zorzi was at the crease, South Africa nursed hopes of mauling the target of 297 on a lethargic surface where stroke-making was difficult.
De Zorzi’s power and eye for the gaps meant that India were on the backfoot with more than 20 overs left. The dreadlocked left-hander would flay the spinners and seamers to all corners of the ground. Just a few deliveries ago he had swept Axar Patel for a six, the third of his rope-a-dope effort. The deeper he batted, the further the match drifted from India’s grasp.
And then that moment arrived, with a delivery that Arshdeep is bizarrely reluctant to dial in the middle overs. Perhaps, too many have manifested as low full tosses in recent times. But this one didn’t.
Celebrations are in order with the ODI series in the bag for #TeamIndia 💙
We now move on to the biggest challenge 👉 Tests 🔥
Tune-in to the 1st #SAvIND TestTue, 26th Dec, 12:30 PM onwards | Star Sports Network#Cricket pic.twitter.com/3l0nxHRJbw
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 21, 2023
Nonetheless, the belligerent de Zorzi is undoubtedly South Africa’s biggest takeaway from the series. His dazzle would have caught the eyes of IPL franchises and scouts too. He has the ingredients to become an IPL blockbuster — a carefree approach, dazzling strokes, clean strikes, ruthless against spinners, and a colourful personality to boot.
Like at St George’s Park, South Africa’s openers pilloried India’s error-strewn new-ball bowlers. Even the tiniest error in length or line was punished, with di Zorzi and Reeza Hendricks combining 58 runs in the first eight overs. De Zorzi was the aggressor, and targeted the wayward Mukesh Kumar, his first three overs costing 25 runs. Arshdeep could not stem the flow of runs until he dismissed Hendricks with a delightful away-seamer.
An expected lull knocked in. Several of India’s batsmen had struggled to score freely at the start of their innings, after the new balls had lost their vim. Rassie van der Dussen scraped for two runs off 17 balls, vainly attempting reserve sweeps and paddles, before Axar Patel nailed him with a slider. But the bigger threat was always De Zorzl, even on a slow surface, where India’s spinners always posed a wicket-taking threat.
The pattern would recur. Every time South Africa seemed to sneak ahead in the race, they lost a wicket. Unlike van der Dussen, Aiden Markram quickly adjusted to the pace of the wicket and motored along, picking boundaries and sledgehammering a six off Axar Patel, the biggest Indian threat on this wicket. Then anticlimactically, he perished attempting a reverse paddle off Washington Sundar. Considering the slow nature of the pitch, the stroke was risk-fraught, unless one possessed Glenn Maxwell-like mastery over the stroke.
Rahul, who took the catch, enjoyed an exceptional day behind the stumps, the gobble of Miller the jewel in his crown.
Similarly, when Heinrich Klaasen and Miller began to score freely, Avesh Khan struck. The previous ball was a flicked four, but Avesh’s next ball bounced more than Klaasen had anticipated and stopped at him, to take the splice of the bat. The ball lobbed in the air to the leaping grasp of Sai Sudharsan, who took a spectacular catch.
A collapse unfolding thereafter. While adding 16 runs, South Africa lost three batsmen, the third being Wiaan Mulder, whose thin outside edge off Washington’s bowling was adeptly pocketed Rahul. Blow blow, the match and series veered away from South Africa’s clasp.
