Graeme Smith : I hope Aiden Markram’s confidence hasn't taken a dent after ODI loss
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Graeme Smith has criticised South Africa’s decision of making Aiden Markram the captain for the ODI series against India and hoped that 5-1 loss hasn’t affected his confidence. Smith has also praised the wrist-spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav and called them India’s excellent finds.
After beating the No.1 Test team in the three-match series 2-1, South Africa
"I don't think it was the right decision. Everyone has been talking about his leadership. Probably coming from me that doesn't make sense because I got given the job at a very young age. I think it was an interim thing, not a full-time thing. I would have rather have had him find his place, find his feet within the one-day set-up, try and get runs behind him. South Africa need players to step up and perform,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo at Wanderers.
"I think in the short term, with AB coming in after three games he could have stepped in, and they could have looked at Duminy or Amla in the first couple and allowed someone like Markram just to settle. One, he was batting out of position at No. 4 at the start of the series, something he had to come to terms with, and then you've piled him under pressure not only on his own game but also as a captain. He would have gained a lot experience-wise but let's just hope his confidence hasn't taken a dent.”
It wasn’t the first time that Markram performed the role of the leader as the Centurion-born had already led SA’s Under 19 World Cup side to victory in 2014. Apart from that, he also led local side Titans this season and was always destined as a potential South African captain.
"His performances since the start of his career say that he can bat at this level. He's obviously got the leadership credentials from Under-19, he's spoken highly as a personality and as a person mature for his age. But I just think allowing him to grow and develop and become a strong player within the line-up, we are talking about the next-tier of cricketers. There's a drop-off between maybe four or five senior players and the next tier. So, allow those guys to develop.
Despite the presence of experienced players like Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, the management showed their trust on the young batsman. However, in front of Team India, the South African side proved inexperienced as the team had no answer to India’s top-order batting and wrist-spin attack.
"What was disappointing for me was that I don't think the other senior players stepped up around him - the Amlas,
Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan led the chart of the highest run scorer in the ODI series while Kuldeep and Chahal showed their dominance in the wicket-takers’ list as they ended the series with 17 and 16 scalps respectively. Du Plessis, AB de Villiers, and Quinton de Kock’s injury forced the hosts to face India with a low strength team and their batting line-up failed to read the Indian wrist-spinners which became a major concern for the side.
"You got to wonder what the chat was about in the changeroom and how they go about it. Obviously two world-class spinners, Chahal and Kuldeep, excellent finds for India. It's just great to see some spin come back into the game. The mystery spinners had left the game for a period of time - the Ajmals, Warnes, Muralitharans, there's been a little bit of a gap. So, it's great to see two guys like that come into the game, it makes the game really interesting to watch,” Smith said.
"South Africa really had no thought, no plan B or C. It was really just dot ball, dot ball, 'okay let's have a swing.' There was no real plan, let's try to build a partnership, it was almost like as the partnership builds it gets slightly easier and South Africa never found a way to do that."
Before the start of the series, the hosts took the 50-overs games as their test to strengthen the side for the upcoming World Cup in 2019. The team failed to win a single trophy so far and the Proteas didn’t want to left any stone unturned, beginning this series. However, the Indian players gave them a reality check that they need to work hard ahead of the mega event in England.
"If the leadership strategically gets the thinking right, gets the tactics right and involves the right kinds of players, I think this can be a good thing for South Africa. They've exposed a few more players to the international game, they have a few more players to look at and think okay, 'how can I position that guy there, okay he looks like he might have something' and they've had some exposure,” he said.
"In the long run, there's still enough time for the World Cup to think this potentially could be a good thing. But that is only if Faf and Ottis and the selection panel get their head in the right place and strategically pick. Once the likes of de Villiers, Faf himself and de Kock are back fit, how do they put a line up together that's going to win a World Cup."
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