Series prediction: South Africa vs India

The general consensus of the WCZ writer predictions for the SA-India ODI series, seems to be leaning towards a win for South Africa; albeit a hard-fought out 2-1 win.



 



Detailed predictions: 



 



AYUSHI THAKUR 



Prediction: South Africa beats India, 2-1 While both the teams had a good run at the World Cup, they’ve had no international exposure since, which could end up costing the Indian side more, considering their relatively inexperienced squad. Plus, the Indian team consists of only 2 experienced pacers, and one debutant, which, considering the South African conditions and seaming tracks, could be a major faux pas. Also, several key Indian players have been struggling with consistency at the international level; Mandhana’s dismal performance in second half of the World Cup, Harmanpreet and Krishnamurthy having forgettable WBBL seasons etc. On the other hand, the South African team looks extremely strong; with Dane Van Niekerk, Lizelle Lee, Marizanne Kapp, and Mignon Du Preez having exceptional WBBL seasons. The South African side also boasts of not just a good all-round side, but especially a quality pace attack, which could be exactly what’s needed in home conditions to exploit the already weak Indian lower batting order and win the series for South Africa.



 



YASH LAHOTI 



Prediction: India beats South Africa, 2-1 India had a dominant World Cup but it was South Africa to whom they lost, in a one-sided affair in the group stage. Despite that, they’re looking strong now, and India would be banking on their strengths with a dominant opening pair, the ever so consistent skipper and the spin contingent. South Africa probably has a better experience in the conditions but considering a relatively less experienced squad and a short domestic stint (except for 5 players in the WBBL), the Proteas might fall short.



 



JAMIE RAMAGE 



Prediction: South Africa beat India, 3-0 The home side have a well-balanced team, that have played a lot of cricket together, and gives their captain Dane van Niekerk plenty of options to call on. Their pace attack including Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, are is among the best in the world. Add to that a mix of hard hitters and inventive batters, and they should be considered favourites on home soil.



 



JOYITA CHATTERJEE



Prediction: A 2-1 win for either team. There are high chances of either of the two teams winning the ODI by 2-1 or 3-0 because team India proved that they can perform well enough against most of the major teams in the recent Women's World Cup. The only thing that they need to look out for is handling pressure during the match and mostly when they would be chasing down a large total, which they lacked during the WC finals against England. win the series by 3-2 or 4-1 only because of the fact that most of there players have just arrived from one of the major T20 tournaments, i.e; WBBL03 and few even played in the KIA super League which took place in England just after a month or so of the Women's World Cup 2017. Hence, among Ind and SA, SA right now possess the upper hand regarding the T20 series.



 



SHRUTI BANERJEE



Prediction: South Africa beats India, 2-1 Though India won the qualifier last year against them but they lost their last encounter in the World Cup. Indian openers are more or less out of form, and Harman and Veda performed poor in WBBL; whereas SA skipper Niekerk, Lizelle Lee, Kapp, Preez all performed really well in WBBL. Though India has three spinners in-form but pace attack is weak in front of SA. In comparison too, SA squad is more experienced than India, and moreover the series will be in SA so, clearly, they will be considered as the favourite between the two teams.



 



DEV TYAGI 



Prediction: Could be won by any team. India has traditionally been batting heavy, but now the bowling is catching up to with a side that is traditionally bowling reliant. Although the sheer lack of experience of playing on bouncy green tops might prove to be a concern. It could be anyone’s series, but I’m expecting it to be a low-scoring contest.