A loss is not always an ignominious thing but the manner in which South Africa collapsed at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack in the first T20I against India has rankled former pacer Dale Steyn. Being shot out for a lowly 74 – incidentally their lowest T20 score – that too in just 12.3 overs doesn’t bode well for a team which has been doing well in the other formats of the game. In fact, South Africa had finished runners-up to India in the T20 World Cup in 2024. South Africa had lost that final by just seven runs.
What has also upset the fans is that South Africa had put up such a dominating performance in the two-match Test Series last month. They had blanked India 2-0 – quite an unprecedented achievement. Later, in the ODI series, too they had put up quite a fight. But at the Barabati Stadium, the batter lacked intent and collapsed without much ado.
“It’s a tough one. Not tough to decipher how they batted, but certainly a tough pill to swallow because these are conditions, you’d expect South Africa to be familiar with. At home, there’s always a bit of nip and seam, and we actually saw that when they bowled. So, you’d think the message to the batters would’ve been: get through the first nine or ten overs, assess, and then go deep, similar to how Hardik played. But it looked like there was a bit of franticness without any real aggression,” Steyn said on JioStar’s Cricket Live show.
The pacer lauded the Indian bowlers for bowling in the right areas and letting the batters make the mistakes. “If India wanted to win, they had to make the new ball talk, and they did. Yes, there were one or two unlucky dismissals, inside edges carrying to the keeper, but that still comes from good bowling in the right areas, trying to drive on the up,” he said.
The South African compared the South African batting to the England, who have been struggling against Australia in the ongoing Ashes series. Steyn also said that the South African batters displayed a bit of inexperience too. “It was similar to how England’s batters are trying to play in Australia, ultra-aggressive, but without reward. And then you see little signs of inexperience, like Brevis taking on Bumrah at the back end. The game was gone, but you still have to pick your battles. He’s the best white-ball bowler in the world. If de Villiers and others couldn’t consistently pull that off, you’re not going to do it, young man. Wait for your moment. There’s a lot to unpack from this game, but credit to India, they played a perfect match. Hardik Pandya batted beautifully, and then they bowled superbly. They showed South Africa exactly how to play on a sporting wicket,” he said.
Dale also lauded Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav and the way the latter handled his resources. “When you have the backing of your team and feel comfortable in your environment, you can have open conversations with your players. You’re not threatened by your spot or by the captaincy. You put the team first and say, ‘What’s best for the individual? What’s best for the team?’ That’s the kind of captain everyone wants, someone who’s secure, welcoming, and willing to adjust for the greater good. Even if it’s just for a game or a series, that flexibility brings out the best in your players. So, when he tells someone, ‘You can’t bat at three today, I need you at six,’ the batter understands because the captain has backed him before. That’s a fantastic skill and a great leadership quality,” he said.
