After three compelling Test matches, South Africa and India are set to embark on a six match ODI series which begins on Thursday. These two are two of the better teams in this format so this should be a really competitive and high quality series to keep us entertained over the next couple of weeks.
Schedule
1st ODI: Feb 1 at Durban
2nd ODI: Feb 4 at Centurion
3rd ODI: Feb 7 at Cape Town
4th ODI: Feb 10 at Johannesburg
5th ODI: Feb 13 at Port Elizabeth
6th ODI: Feb 16 at Centurion
South Africa
The South Africans were one of the best sides in this format of the game but then they had a Kolpak exodus which left them having to rebuild a little bit. That meant they exited the Champions Trophy much earlier than they would have wanted but they have a lengthy opportunity to get back on track in this series.
South Africa do go into this series having won their only three ODIs of the summer so far. They came against a Bangladesh side who gave it a decent go but who were out of their depth in these conditions so this will be a much tougher test. You have to go back to 2013 for the last time the Proteas lost a series at home which is some record.
India
India are exceptionally good in this format which made their defeat in the Champions Trophy final all the more disappointing. What is good about this side is they not have a team who can compete in all conditions and they finally get the chance to show that in a lengthy battle away from home. This could be their real crowning series.
Either side of that defeat to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final, India have won their last eight bilateral series which is an insane record. It should be noted that a lot of them were in the sub-continent where you would expect them to win but that sort of consistency over so long shows how good a side they are.
Head to Head
These two have been involved in ten previous ODI series with South Africa holding the edge in them. They have won five series to four of India while one has been drawn but in South Africa, India are yet to win an ODI series.
India are comfortably behind when it comes to individual ODI match records too with South Africa winning 45 to the 29 of India while three matches have been no results. It will be interesting to see how that translates across in this series.
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Betting
I think India were more competitive than most sides thought they might be in the Test series and that bodes well for them in this ODI leg of the tour. One of their weaknesses in the longer format was their middle and lower order but their batting line up has a much stronger look about it in this format.
If anything it is the South African line up which has a bit of a flaky look to it, especially without AB de Villiers who is going to miss the opening three matches. While Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel are class acts with the ball there is a light look to the attack too. Winning four of six matches is no gimme for India but I think there is value on them doing that at 10/3.
Tips
WON – Back India to win ODI series for a 2/10 stake at 4.33 with William Hill
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