India found themselves in a difficult situation, with the ODI series against South Africa knotted at 1-1 heading into the deciding match in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6. The Men in Blue have also been experiencing a remarkable run of bad luck at the toss, having lost 20 consecutive tosses, including both in the opening two ODIs, which proved expensive.
Both games were strongly influenced by the dew effect, which India struggled to control when bowling under lights. Several Indian bowlers allowed more over seven runs each over, making it tough to contain South Africa’s batting lineup. The Proteas barely lost the series opener in Ranchi before mounting a remarkable comeback in Raipur. Indian assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate also addressed the matter, recognizing the substantial influence of dew on games and noting that the team has been working behind the scenes to better adapt and prepare for such situations.
“The dew factor is, we’re actually trying to put a number on it and it varies between 10 and 20% [in terms of] what a big difference it makes [to the result]. I think we’re one in a million statistically at the moment [the probability of losing 20 straight tosses], so if we can go two million tomorrow, that’ll be pretty impressive,” said Ten Doeschate in the pre-match press conference.
“But again, it’s a bit of a joke, but the responsibility or the preparation is to beat whatever is put in front of us and eventually we’re going to win a toss anyway. We are doing all the practical prep stuff, guys bowling with wet balls. Again, you know, like setting up our store to get a premium score, figuring out how to defend, what is best to bowl with the wet ball when there is dew on the grass.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
ODI cricket operates differently today than it did in previous years. Earlier, teams used two new balls—one from each end—which made run-scoring easier and tilted the format toward batters. However, the ICC introduced a regulation that allows the bowling side to choose one of the two balls for the final 16 overs after the 34th over. This change aims to restore balance between bat and ball, increase wear on the ball, and give bowlers more assistance in the closing stages of an innings.
“The two balls. if I just think about it logically, the whole point of going to one ball after 34 overs is that the ball does get a chance to wear and to get a bit softer. But the flip side is that [when there is dew] you have got one ball that is getting more wet essentially. I think the umpires have been very good in allowing ball changes, but then of course you end up getting a slightly harder ball which negates the whole point of going down to the one ball.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
“But like I said, the thing that has impressed me about this group this week is that we know the challenges, I haven’t heard anyone complain and the main thing is all about, you know, it is our responsibility to find ways around these challenges and that is just another one we have got to find a solution for.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
India managed to reach close to 350 runs in both games, but even those totals were insufficient as South African hitters handled the chase with ease. Ten Doeschate recognized that India’s hitters are now reassessing their aims in light of shifting conditions and the dew effect. He also proposed that starting matches earlier might help to reduce the impact of dew and produce a more even duel between bat and ball.
“At the start of the first game, we thought 320 sort of par, and then we put a premium at 350 and we thought that the game in Raipur was the same. We thought 360, even given the dew coming, it was a good effort to get that score. You always want more runs and again the conversations have been around how can we maximise. What we said about guys starting in slightly later on, what are the better options, we just had a good chat around that.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
“I think it is, you know, the fact that the dew kind of falls as the second inning starts, it means the dew is there for the whole time. So a different start time could bring that effect down a little bit if you started two hours early. That is a solution but obviously there are so many moving parts at play in terms of broadcasting etc. So I guess it is a futile conversation.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
Throughout South Africa’s tour, India relied on all-rounders in Tests and chose specialist players for the ODIs. With the ODI series tied 1-1 soon after South Africa handed India a 2-0 defeat in the Tests, tension has grown in the dressing room as the squad works to regain momentum.
“I guess that is a bit of an anomaly. You know, you would think Test Cricket, you would have more specialists but it is just where we are at the moment in the cycle and the guys we think at the moment are the best guys to represent the team. Ideally, in Test cricket, you have a more solid base of batters and bowlers but we feel at the moment the guys who are doing the job for us just happen to be allrounders. I just think it is picking your best XI and that is just the way it is in the world.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
“It is a very different personnel of players, but the guys are very aware of the responsibility of what they are representing. We always want to win, but certainly when a few losses do start stacking up and performances are below what we expect from ourselves. I think there is a slight aspiration to win the series tomorrow.”
Ryan ten Doeschate
