The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Friday, called off India’s remaining two ODIs against South Africa in Lucknow and Kolkata because of the global pandemic. Earlier in the day, the Indian Premier League was also postponed till April 15.

The first of the three-match series in Dharamshala on Thursday was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain and BCCI have now confirmed that they are in talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to reschedule the series.

"BCCI along with CSA on Friday announced to reschedule the ongoing ODI series in view of the global pandemic," BCCI said in a press statement.

NEWS: BCCI, CSA announce the rescheduling of the ongoing @Paytm ODI series #INDvSA

More details //t.co/9as9JoX7tG pic.twitter.com/IIvXLLurmy

�?BCCI (@BCCI) March 13, 2020

"Cricket South Africa will visit India at a later date to play three One-Day Internationals. The BCCI-CSA will jointly work out the revised schedule."

Earlier it was said that the last two ODIs would be played behind closed doors due to the government directive, which asked for the sporting events to be shut for fans in view of the pandemic.

That said, it is now the second international cricket series which has been called off due to pandemic. Earlier today, England’s tour to Sri Lanka was also called off at the request of the England Cricket Board due to the growing threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the India-South Africa series, it will also be rescheduled at a later date.

India, the world's second-most populous country after China, has reported 81 cases so far with one death from COVID-19.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Saijjad Hussain

The last time South Africa were in India was less than six months ago. They were thumped in the Test series after a 1-1 T20I series and returned home humiliated and embarrassed by their shocking performance. Now, they are back for a three-match ODI series, one that can be termed as a continuation of the other two series for the simple fact that it's very close to each other. 

A lot has changed in the Proteas setup in these few months. Enoch Nkwe, the stand-in head coach for that tour is now the assistant coach. Graeme Smith is the new Director of Cricket. Mark Boucher is the new head coach. Jacques Kallis is the new batting coach and Charl Langveldt the bowling coach. Faf du Plessis, their skipper on that Test tour, is now just a player with Quinton de Kock leading the side. The ODI team has seen as many as six debutants with one further player expected to debut this series.

A new-look side:

The fortunes of the Proteas Test and T20I sides hasn't dwindled too much but the ODI side is on the back of a whitewash of the Australian team in a recent series. The key takeaway for the South Africans was that their centurions were Janneman Malan and Heinrich Klaasen, both non-regulars in the ODI setup. That they swept the Aussies 3-0 despite Quinton de Kock's average series, Faf du Plessis' absence and Temba Bavuma's injury shows the Proteas are here to stay and strive. 

The middle-order has a daunting look to it with the return of du Plessis. Heinrich Klaasen and Kyle Verreynne, who were in top form against the Aussies, will add more strength to the middle-order that also includes David Miller and JJ Smuts. Obviously, all of them may not fit in, but the good news for them is that a lot of these players are fine players of spin. 

The all-rounder stock is also well beefed up with JJ Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo and George Linde all capable of stepping up with the bat and the ball. For once, there are a couple of formidable spinning all-rounders in the side and we might see them make an impact in India.

A strong bowling line-up: 

The bowling department - despite the glaring absence of Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi - is pretty well stocked as well. Lungi Ngidi is on the back of picking up the first five-fer by a South African in ODIs since October 2018. His death bowling and slower variations were a revelation in the Australian ODIs and could be more than handy in India on the sluggish wickets.

Complementing him is Anrich Nortje who had a good Test series against England followed by another good ODI series against Australia. With the consistent Lutho Sipamla, the exciting Beuran Hendricks and Keshav Maharaj also in the setup, the Proteas have a completely different vibe to their team as they land in India. 

It must be remembered that they face India in a format where the hosts haven't been that good since the World Cup. India have lost five ODIs and won just six since the heartbreaking semi-finals in England. This South African ODI unit might just have the oomph to topple India at home. They did manage to do so the last time they played an ODI series in the country. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Barco Greeff

Over the last year, Hardik Pandya has been more absent than present in the Indian team. His injury issues have persisted over a lengthy period of time but now the hard-hitting all-rounder has made a comeback to the ODI setup for the upcoming series against South Africa. 

There are reasons manifold as to why Hardik is such a key element in India's ODI middle-order. His return would be a much welcome boost to the fifty-overs side that just suffered a 0-3 whitewash in New Zealand. 

The utility value

India's ODI side, after the end of the World Cup in England, hasn't been all that impressive and a major concern is the void created by a big hitter who can take the game away in the late stages. Hardik adds this extra zing while also solving another major issue that has plagued India in the recent past - that of a sixth bowler.

So often in the New Zealand series, India seemed to struggle with at least one of their best five bowlers and had very few options for the sixth bowler with none of the top 6 batters capable of bowling. As a result, Jadeja was a must-pick as the no.7 aside from the four tail-enders who would bowl. 

This narrative changes as Hardik returns. He adds the extra option of pace and helps lengthen the batting as Jadeja can move one place down without compromising on the bowling much. 

The power factor

India's current ODI batting setup is such that a player like Hardik is imperative in the lower middle-order. The likes of Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul make a strong top five but none of these players are out and out power-hitters. At best, they are stroke-makers who can up the ante but cannot take the game away in a matter of 5-6 overs.

Hardik adds exactly this to the batting group. His strike rate is the best for any Indian batsman since 2017 (min 300 runs) and he has four half-centuries despite batting below a solid top and middle-order and coming in to bat late in an innings 

Best Batting SR for Indians since 2017 (min 300 runs)

Batsman -- SR -- Avg 

• Hardik Pandya -- 116.47 - 30.4
• Rishabh Pant -- 103.6 -- 26.71
• Kedar Jadhav -- 100.87 -- 41.17
• Shreyas Iyer -- 100.8 -- 49.86
• Shikhar Dhawan -- 98.86 - 46.6

Hardik's game-changing knocks as a floater for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League has been top-notch and having someone like him down the order eases pressure on the top and middle-order. 

The winning factor

Forget that he adds balance to the side and Hardik still finds ways to prove he is essential for India's success in ODIs, particularly since MS Dhoni is no longer in the side as an aggressor. 

Since the beginning of 2018, India have played 22 ODIs with Hardik in the side, winning 16 of them and losing just 6 matches - a win/loss ratio of 2.66.

On the other hand, they have played 32 games without him in the playing XI and won 19 while losing 10 matches - a win/loss ratio of 1.9.

Post the World Cup, India are yet to play with Hardik Pandya in the starting XI. In this period, India have lost five of the 12 ODIs they have played, winning just six matches in the same time frame. 

The balance he adds to the side has notably been missed and his return could just fire India back to their best form in One-Day Internationals.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Sajjad Hussain

After a tormented time in the land of Kiwis, team India are back on the home soil to host South Africa in a three-match ODI series. The first of the three day-night matches will be held in Dharamsala on March 12 at the HPCA Stadium, and the action will begin at 13:30 HRS IST. The match will be televised on the Star Sports Network and live streaming will be available on Hotstar. You can also catch all the action on our live blog.

Read | India vs South Africa: Hardik Pandya a key in middle-order puzzle

Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar are reported to be fit to feature for the Men in Blue. Hardik’s last T20I ironically came against South Africa in September 2019 after which he underwent a back surgery and stayed sidelined ever since. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, coming back from a groin injury, has also been a long-time absentee from the side. 

Vice-captain Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, is still out with a calf injury and will not participate in the series. 

Janneman Malan, after a great run of form against Australia, boarded the bus at the last minute as the 16th man in the team. George Linde has made it to the team in place of Tabraiz Shamsi who is unavailable for the series after the birth of his child. 

Read | India vs South Africa: Watch for the rejuvenated Proteas in India

Among the batting mainstays, Faf Du Plessis is back in the side for the first time since the World Cup, having been rested against England and Australia. He had let go of his role as a captain and Quinton De Kock is the one holding the reins. 

India squad:

Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill.

South Africa Squad:

Quinton de Kock (c & wk), Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen, Faf du Plessis, Kyle Verreynne, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan.

India's catching standards have taken a beating in the ongoing series against West Indies and we take a look at how many they have dropped in their last two T20I series. 

Vs Bangladesh

1st T20I - Mushfiqur Rahim

Rahim was dropped off the bowling of Yuzvendra Chahal in the first T20I by Krunal Pandya and the Bangladesh batsman went on to make an impact in the game which the tourists won. Rahim finished on 60 not out and was adjudged the Man of the Match.

2nd T20I - Liton Das

Soon after the powerplay at Rajkot in the second T20I against Bangladesh, India dropped another catch with Rohit Sharma letting go of Liton Das. Washington Sundar had enticed Das into a slog sweep and three fielders converged before Rohit went for the catch and put it down.

Vs West Indies

1st T20I - Shimron Hetmyer (twice)

Sundar let go of Hetmyer twice in the first T20I. On the first occasion, Chahal was the bowler and Sundar completely misjudged the catch at short fine-leg. The ball was landing in front of him, but he anticipated it to come to him and never made a move. This was in the 16th over and he let Hetmyer off again next over.

Read | From Kohli's stares to Chahar's bad day, talking points from India's win

Deepak Chahar had a slew of catches dropped off his bowling in the first game against the Windies at Hyderabad. Shimron Hetmyer was a beneficiary when Washington Sundar put down another catch at long-on when the West Indian sliced a slog. 

1st T20I - Kieron Pollard (twice)

Rohit Sharma let go of Kieron Pollard twice off successive balls in the first T20I. Poor Deepak Chahar had induced false strokes and Rohit got close to the ball only to let go of it the first time. While that chance was incredibly tough, on the second occasion, the ball went right at him and he parried it over the ropes for six.

1st T20I - Jason Holder

Captain Virat Kohli let go of Jason Holder in the final over at Hyderabad off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and also conceded four runs in the process. He would, however, make amends from the same position - long-off - in the second T20I with a stunning catch. 

2nd T20I - Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons was benefited as Washington Sundar put down a dolly at mid-off with Bhuvneshwar Kumar being the bowler. Simmons had miscued the swing and the ball went straight to Sundar who missed a straightforward chance. 

Read | India vs West Indies 2nd T20I: Five things we learned

2nd T20I - Evin Lewis

Two balls after Simmons' drop, Rishabh Pant gave Evin Lewis a life when he was caught wrong-footed as the batsman edged one behind off Kumar. Pant was stuck on his right foot and the ball travelled to his left, making it tough for him.

2nd T20I - Nicholas Pooran

Shreyas Iyer let down Pooran in the late stages of the second T20I as he ran across from long-on and failed to get his fingers onto a catch that went really high. The bowler was yet again Deepak Chahar who had three catches put down off his bowling at Hyderabad.

India have put down as many as 10 catches in their last five T20Is and that's an alarming rate for a top side in this format of the game where each run matters.

Read | India vs West Indies 3rd T20: Openers likely to take centre-stage

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Dibyangshu Sarkar

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday that full-time appointments concerning the national team's coaching staff and selectors needed to be made urgently.

Speaking on the team's return from a three-Test trouncing in India, Du Plessis said uncertainty over key positions was "a massive red flag".

Cricket South Africa fired coach Ottis Gibson, his back-up staff and the selectors after a poor World Cup campaign. 

They announced a new structure headed by a director of cricket and a team director.

Former one-day international player Corrie van Zyl and 37-year-old Enoch Nkwe were appointed in an interim capacity, with Nkwe in charge of the team in India.

Du Plessis said he was committed to continuing as captain despite going through what he described as "the toughest period in my cricket journey". 

But he said his own position and those of the other key posts "needs to be resolved as soon as possible".

"The most important thing right now is clarity," he said. 

"Someone needs to make decisions, the director of cricket first and then filter down so everyone else can make decisions," he added.

Du Plessis also called for former players to be involved with the national team.

"It's obvious that we need to make more use of ex-players but it also comes with challenges," he said. 

"I suppose it always comes down to finance. I know for a fact that we have tried to get them involved but the financial thing is a hurdle. We need experience in the team right now and that comes from ex-players."

Du Plessis admitted that South Africa had been outplayed in India and acknowledged that the team had lacked mental strength. 

"It was obvious from the way we played the last Test match. We started really well but by being put under pressure for a long period of time through the series, slowly but surely we started playing worse."

The South African captain said losing the toss in all three Tests had made an already difficult task almost impossible. 

"Every Test match they bat first, they score 500, they declare when it's dark, they get three wickets when it’s dark and when day three starts you are under pressure. It was like copy and paste in every Test match."

He repeated his call for the toss to be done away with for Test matches. 

"Then away teams will have a better chance. In South Africa I don’t mind that, we bat on green tops anyway."

Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Noah Saleem

Former captain Sourav Ganguly Wednesday vowed to clean up Indian cricket as he was elected president of the sport's rich and powerful but troubled national board.

Cricket's massive popularity in India has made the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) by far the wealthiest of all the national boards, netting massive sums from sponsorship and TV deals.

But it has also been embroiled in a series of scandals, including accusations of corruption and match-fixing that tarnished the Indian Premier League (IPL) -- the country's lucrative Twenty20 extravaganza.

The appointment of the 47-year-old Ganguly -- for an initial 10 months only -- at a meeting in Mumbai on Wednesday ends more than two years of a committee appointed by India's top court overseeing the board's affairs.

"It's an honour that I have been asked to take this role by the members when it's a new start for the BCCI," Ganguly, wearing his India captain's blazer, said in his first address as BCCI chief.

"Things need to be brought back in place, reforms need to done, huge amounts of money to be paid to state associations.

"It's a challenge and I'll do it the way I know. The way which I feel is best for BCCI with no compromise on credibility, corruption-free and same-for-all BCCI. That's the way I led India and that's the way I will take forward this organisation with whatever time I have."

'Kohli, most important man'

A corruption and match-fixing scandal in the sixth edition of the IPL in 2013 brought about the downfall of the board's then-president Narayanaswami Srinivasan after his son-in-law was accused of betting on matches.

The appointment of his successor Anurag Thakur and his number two Ajay Shirke was seen as representing a break with the past.

But in January 2017 Thakur and Shirke were axed by the Supreme Court over their inability to enact a series of recommended reforms.

The order came after judges slapped restrictions on the BCCI's accounts in 2016 over its failure to implement changes put forward by a panel headed by a former top judge, Rajendra Mal Lodha.

The court then appointed a top anti-corruption trouble shooter, Vinod Rai, as head of a team to oversee the running of board.

But the board's reluctance to implement Lodha's recommendations, which included age limits and term limits on office-bearers, had triggered a number of legal battles.

Ganguly promised to listen to national skipper Virat Kohli, the "most important man in Indian cricket", and said he would speak to the star player on Thursday.

"Virat Kohli is the most important man in Indian cricket, we will listen to him. Mutual respect will be there, opinions will be there," Ganguly said.

"We will support him in every possible way, whatever he wants."

Ganguly, a left-handed opener, retired from Test cricket in 2008 having accumulated 7,212 runs including 16 centuries -- his first made at Lord's on debut.

Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Punit Paranjpe

It is no secret that Dane Piedt had a nightmare in India on this Test tour. Despite his gritty showing with the bat, Piedt's bowling, the primary skill for which he is in the team, was shambolic, so much so that questions are raised on whether he is the worst spinner to tour India for a Test series.

Seeing Dane Piedt Is Getting Beaten Badly.....
Soon His Name Have To Be Converted As "Dane पीडि�?#INDvSA

�?Omkar Anpat #91 (@IamOmkarAnpat) October 19, 2019

Piedt was the whipping boy for most of India's batsmen and the off-spinner was removed from the side after a horrible first Test where he leaked runs at economies of 5.6 and 6.0 respectively in either innings, respectively.

With Keshav Maharaj injured, Piedt returned to the XI for the final Test but the treatment dished out to him remained pretty much the same. Rohit Sharma was his tormentor-in-chief as the Indian opener lambasted Piedt for 11 sixes in the series.

A record 19 sixes in this series for Rohit Sharma
Sixes off
11 - Piedt
5 - Maharaj
2 - Ngidi
1 - Nortje#IndvSA #IndvsSA

�?Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) October 20, 2019

In 106 balls in the series to Rohit, the South African spinner conceded 133 runs including nine fours in addition to the eleven sixes.

Piedt, put under immense pressure, failed to respond well enough. He was either all over the place with his line and length or bowled flat with little threatening turn. Under the pump after the first few overs in the series, he never really recovered to trouble India enough.

He ended the series with the most unremarkable of figures. 54 overs, 7 maidens, 310 runs and 2 wickets.

For someone expected to don the role of the second spinner, his returns were unexpected and downright pathetic. His economy in the series will be the worst by any spinner in a Test series in India (minimum three innings and 15 overs in the series).

Worst economy rates in a series in India by a spinner (Minimum 3 innings and 15 overs)
Player	Innings	Overs	Wickets	Average	Economy
DL Piedt (SA in 2019)	3	54	2	155	5.74
JP Duminy (SA in 2010)	3	23	1	114	4.95
Muthusamy (SA in 2019)	3	37.3	2	90	4.8
GJ Maxwell (AUS in 2012)	3	41	7	27.57	4.7
E Leadbeater (ENG in 1951)	4	48.1	2	109	4.52
RL Chase (WI in 2018)	3	39	1	173	4.43
IDK Salisbury (ENG in 1992)	3	52	3	76.66	4.42
NM Lyon (AUS in 2012)	6	127.1	15	37.33	4.4
MDK Perera (SL in 2017)	5	107.1	8	58.62	4.37

Incidentally, the second and third-worst numbers are also from South Africans with Senuran Muthusamy from this series occupying the third place behind Piedt and Duminy in 2010.

What compounded Piedt's woes was his inability to eke out wickets as well. Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin were his only two victims in the entire series. Given the statistical evidence, it is hard to argue that Piedt isn't the worst ever spinner to tour India.

Featured image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma

India beat South Africa by an innings and 202 runs in the third Test to sweep the series 3-0 in Ranchi on Tuesday.

Debutant spinner Shahbaz Nadeem claimed the final two wickets on successive balls to dismiss the Proteas for 133 while following on in just the second over on day four. The Proteas started the day on 132-8.

Theunis de Bruyn was out on his overnight score of 30 after coming in to the XI for concussed Dean Elgar, who got a nasty hit on the helmet off paceman Umesh Yadav on Monday.

Featured image courtesy: AFP/ Money Sharma

Rohit Sharma completed his third century in the series at Ranchi and went on to convert it into a double hundred. Much like his ODI form, a numbered jersey seems to have brought out the best in the Mumbaikar in Test cricket too.

Rohit’s incredible series in numbers reached a high after the Ranchi Test and here we take a glance at his numbers:

Fifth-highest runs tally by an Indian opener in a Test series

He has 529 runs in three Tests at an average of 132.25 including two hundreds and a double century.

Among the openers with the highest run tally, only Sunil Gavaskar �?in tour of West Indies in 1970 �?has a better average. The last Indian to make 500-plus runs in a series was Virender Sehwag in 2004-05 against Pakistan.

Read: India beat South Africa, sweep Test series 3-0

Third Indian to make a 200-plus score in two formats

By notching up a double ton, Rohit became the third Indian and fourth overall after Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Chris Gayle to make a 200-plus score in two formats of the game. Rohit’s 212 at Ranchi and 176 at Vizag feature in the top five Test scores by Indians against South Africa in Tests.

Virender Sehwag’s 319 tops the list while Kohli’s and Mayank’s double centuries in this series come above Rohit’s.

Best batting average in Tests at home

Rohit’s fondness for home conditions is well established. All of his six Test centuries have come at home. This is the second highest tally of centuries for any batsman with zero away tons, but what makes his home record stand out is his incredible average.

Among batsmen with 1000 runs at home in Tests, Rohit’s average of 99.84 is the best ever, even trumping the great Sir Donald Bradman. In 18 innings, Rohit has 11 scores above 50, six of which have been converted to hundreds. Bradman’s average of 98.22 in home Tests comes second to Rohit’s.

Read: Rohit Sharma will be India's game changer overseas, says batting coach

Most sixes by a batsman in a Test series

Like his Hitman avatar in ODIs, Rohit stood out with his acceleration in phases in this series as well. In the three-match series, Rohit has often started with caution before going berserk. In the series, Rohit has 16 sixes, the most by any batsman in any Test series.

In his new role as an opener in Tests, Rohit has revelled and stood out. It has confirmed his place at the top of the Indian line-up across formats at least until India tour New Zealand later this year.

Watch: Rohit Sharma's double century and all the records he created

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Money Sharma