South Africa's bowling unit endured a bruising outing in their warm-up clash against India on Wednesday night, prompting consultant Albie Morkel to underline the challenges posed by flat, batter-friendly surfaces across the country.
Once a side leaks 83 runs inside the powerplay, damage control becomes nearly impossible. That reality hit the Proteas hard at the DY Patil Stadium, where India's top and middle order went on a rampage. Ishan Kishan's 53 off 20 balls set the tone before Tilak Varma 45 off 19 and Hardik Pandya 30 off 10 piled on the pressure to power India to a daunting 240 for five.
While the fixture carried the label of a warm-up game and held no direct consequence, the manner in which South Africa's bowlers were dismantled raised serious concerns ahead of the tournament. With the exception of Lungi Ngidi, who conceded just over seven runs per over, every other bowler went for at least nine an over, offering little resistance once the onslaught began.
