EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THE HINDU DELHI WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019 SPORT 19 EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE India holds the aces in its opener against a wounded South Africa Kohli’s men, rested and refreshed, will be keen to hit the ground running; the Proteas are in a predicament after two defeats and injuries to Steyn and Ngidi takes on South Africa at the In England, eyes are Hampshire Bowl here on equally cast on the pitch and Wednesday. the skies. Interestingly when Kohli The surface here recently addressed the media on ushered in the host’s 373 for Tuesday afternoon, a conch three and Pakistan’s 361 for being blown could be briefly seven. Yet, with clouds being heard. constant sentinels, the speed Obviously a fan had merchants can gain addition­ sounded out the battle call al venom. and the expectations are PREVIEW bound to quadruple. Mild drizzle forecast India holds the aces The absence of the injured joust. But he has to do more. The forecast hints at mild K.C. Vijaya Kumar against a rival that is coping duo of Dale Steyn and Lungi With Kohli and perhaps M.S. drizzle and both Kohli and Southampton with its present predicament Ngidi will further hurt the Dhoni, flanking him on eith­ his counterpart du Plessis It’s been a week since the ICC Proteas while Kohli’s men er side at three and five, Ra­ will gaze at the weather­ World Cup commenced with step in with added hul has to be both the glue gauge, when they pick their the game involving England confidence. and the spicy sauce. resources. and South Africa at the Oval. Ranked second in the The all­rounders’ quotient The teams (from): The last few days witnessed a India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit ODI rankings, India is in the is sure to have Hardik Pandya medley of lop­sided clashes Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, M.S. top­matrix but it has some while others like Vijay Shan­ and nerve­shredding upsets Dhoni, K.L. Rahul, Ravindra Ja­ worries. In the two practice kar and Ravindra Jadeja may but India, cricket’s commer­ deja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Kar­ games, the opening alliance get a look­in based on the cial heart, was yet to stride of Rohit Sharma and Shik­ thik, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shan­ conditions. kar, Jasprit Bumrah, onto the turf. har Dhawan yielded a mere Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mo­ After the Indian Premier three and five. Bumrah’s role hammed Shami, Yuzvendra League concluded on May 12, A lot depends on the kind Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. Speedster Jasprit Bumrah’s Virat Kohli’s men rested a bit, of starts that Rohit and Dha­ South Africa: Faf du Plessis jetted to holiday destinations wan can bequeath and the role will be huge and India (Capt.), Hashim Amla, Quinton and a few of them lit up their two have it in them to strike would like to believe that its de Kock, J.P. Duminy, Aiden Instagram accounts. big. seamers and wrist spinners Markram, David Miller, Chris Kohli and coach Ravi are better than what South Morris, Beuran Hendricks, Imran Mixed bag of having suffered two losses. Shastri would be hoping that Africa could fling. Tahir, Andile Phehlukwayo, Once they assembled back in The result against England the warm­ups were a blip For the Proteas, veteran Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Raba­ da, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van the United Kingdom, two was on expected lines, but from an otherwise solid pair. Hashim Amla, declared fit for der Dussen and Lungi Ngidi. warm­ups were played. The the defeat to Bangladesh was the clash, and Faf du Plessis Umpires: Richard Kettlebo­ mixed bag featured a defeat a hope­snuffing one. Rahul at No. 4 have to excel while Kagiso rough and Michael Gough; against New Zealand and a South Africa has to play re­ K.L. Rahul has seemingly ce­ Rabada helms an attack that Third umpire: Richard Illing­ triumph over Bangladesh. markably well in the remain­ mented himself at the No. 4 is relatively anaemic despite worth; Match referee: Ranjan Finally, India will turn up ing fixtures to stay in conten­ spot after scoring 108 against the presence of a wily Imran Madugalle. The battle begins: India skipper Virat Kohli will go into the contest against South Africa at the World Cup when it tion for a knock­out berth. Bangladesh in the practice Tahir. Match starts at 3 p.m. IST. with added confidence. * AFP Happy we are finally going to play, says Kohli Important to stay Steyn out of World Cup K.C. Vijaya Kumar the most balanced side.” strong: du Plessis Special Correspondent inflammatory changes. Southampton Southampton “However, upon our There was an air of calmness Jadhav is fit SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Ahead of its crucial game arrival into the United around Virat Kohli. He The skipper also revealed SOUTHAMPTON against India, South Africa Kingdom, once he started walked in confidently, took that Kedar Jadhav is back to World Cup press­conferenc­ woke up to the bad news of bowling, a different his time to settle down, wore ‘full fitness’ and when a es may seem as brutal inqui­ Dale Steyn being ruled out problem emerged, what his spectacles and patiently South African scribe probed sitions for South African of the rest of the World we call a shoulder answered the questions. about Kagiso Rabada’s dispa­ captains. Cup. impingement syndrome. Ahead of the World Cup raging remarks against him, The ICC’s event “He consulted an In the 2011 edition, clash against South Africa, Kohli was at his diplomatic technical committee orthopaedic specialist in Graeme Smith had wet eyes Kohli struck an optimistic best and said he would rath­ through a press­release London, had an injection at Dhaka. And on Tuesday, note in the pre­match press­ er talk straight with the fast stated: “Steyn has suffered in the problematic area after leading his side to two conference at the Hampshire bowler. a second shoulder injury which unfortunately did defeats in the latest cham­ Bowl here on Tuesday. And would he like to emu­ which has not responded not resolve the symptoms. pionship’s opening rounds, First­up he said: “We are late his prolific starts from to treatment and has ruled So a decision was made to and then coping with the very happy that finally we previous World Cups — Kohli Faf du Plessis. * AFP him out of bowling for the replace him.” update on Dale Steyn being are going to start playing.” had scored centuries in In­ foreseeable future. His Steyn has battled ruled out, Faf du Plessis And then when asked about Huge responsibility: India’s bowling will rest on Jasprit dia’s opening games during Steyn and Lungi Ngidi, du replacement (Beuran) various injuries over the kept grace as his second South Africa being plagued Bumrah’s shoulders. * AP the 2011 and 2015 editions? Plessis said: “We haven’t Hendricks is a left­arm fast last two years and at 35, skin while the queries by injuries, he refused to The Indian captain replied: had one game where we bowler.” another round of probed into his squad’s take the opposition lightly: to say, in terms of under­ all­round riches and de­ “When I walk out to bat, have had our strongest 11 Later, the South African rehabilitation and foibles. “South Africa is very ta­ standing how the games have clared: “We selected a side come down the stairs, peo­ playing on the field yet. team manager Mohammed recovery, can be gut­ lented, a very dangerous side gone, what the conditions that gives us all kinds of op­ ple will say we need a The South African skip­ “You still have to make Moosajee explained: wrenching. He did bowl in on their day and even with have to offer, what the over­ tions depending upon the hundred. per said he has to enhance sure your squad is strong “Dale’s case has been the nets at the Hampshire the replacements, they will cast conditions bring into conditions we are going to “My focus is, if I am in a his men’s confidence: “It’s and have back­up plans.” unique. We know that Bowl here on Monday be a very strong side.” play or when the sun is out. play in. position to be able to do that important to stay strong. The Proteas leader hoped upon his return from the evening, but with doubts “It’s a totally different ball “Somewhere you might again, but more importantly The team will feed off my for a turnaround starting IPL, due to shoulder persisting about his ability Fringe benefits game altogether (especially) see three seamers, somewh­ make the team win, that will energy and they will look up with Wednesday’s game discomfort he had to sustain intensity during The Indian captain admitted what the conditions are at ere two wrist­spinners, so­ be my goal. to the leadership group in against India: “I said (win­ numerous scans done a second spell, the team that his unit’s late start in the 10.30 in the morning com­ mewhere you might see a “And if it takes a hundred the team. But I am at the top ning) six games is the target, which didn't reveal management had no other World Cup comes with its pared to afternoon. We have wrist­spinner and a finger runs, 150, 50, 60, 70, 40, of that so it is important that so with seven games left, it anything of significance, choice but to seek a share of fringe benefits: “It is had a lot to absorb.” spinner playing together.