India out to stop de Villiers’ destruction

India will be particularly wary of the ‘AB factor’ as they head into the second ODI against South Africa in Indore.

The Proteas won the first ODI on the back of a de Villiers century, with more than half of his runs coming in the final 10 overs of the innings as the tourists moved from 3-194 to a match-winning total of 5-303.

On a pitch where the ball had got scuffed up enough to allow the bowlers the luxury of reverse swing, and with the changed rules allowing for an extra fielder outside the 30-yard circle, Indian skipper MS Dhoni was critical that his bowlers failed to better restrict the South Africans.

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But a mammoth 62 runs came from the final four overs, bowled by pace pair Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Opening batsman Rohit Sharma, who made 150 as India came within five runs of the target, conceded the bowling will need to tighten towards the end of the innings in Indore, but the presence of de Villiers is a factor one cannot overlook.

"It’s a concern, there’s no doubt, we cannot run away from that," Sharma said ahead of the second match.

"When you’re bowling to someone like de Villiers and all those kinds of players, you have to be extra smart and be more proactive, as to what they do and what kind of shots they play.

"It’s a concern, and I’m sure all the fast bowlers are working on it.

“They know as to how to get away from that, but yes, what I feel is, they just need to be a little more proactive so that it can help us plan (the final overs) better."

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India will take heart from the fact their quick bowlers had a good World Cup, bowling their opponents out in seven of the eight games they played.

It was only in the semi-final against Australia that they failed to contain the opposition and went for 89 from the final 10 overs.

The following defeats to Bangladesh in a three-match series were more a result of a combination of batting and bowling failures than death bowling issues alone.

South Africa bowling coach Charl Langeveldt also believes the final overs – as well as the opening exchanges – of each innings will continue to prove critical as the series wears on, and a big part of success in those periods is adaptability.

"I always say to the guys that the guy who adapts quickly is normally the guy that is going to be successful on the day," Langeveldt said.

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"If we assess the conditions quick enough, we try and change (plans accordingly). We don’t try and stick to death bowling, that is, bowling yorkers (if that’s not working).

“In training as well, the focus is on bowling everything, so you mix up your slower balls, your bouncers and your yorkers, because you never know, you could come to a wicket in which bowling back of a length is not working, and you need to adapt."

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Rohit Sharma made 150 in the first ODI // Getty Images

Sharma's big hundred in the first match pushed his ODI average in India up to a whopping 69.26 but his stupendous home form in recent times has often left fans frustrated about his struggles outside the country, and the Indian opener wants to change that.

The 28-year-old has played only 29 of his 139 career ODIs in India and it's only in recent times that his batting has looked more secure away from home, a point reinforced by a pair of centuries in Melbourne earlier this year.

"It is just not about batting in India, anywhere in the world I want to keep going and there is no doubt about it," he said.

"Being a top-order batsman, it is a responsibility to bat through the innings and get your team to a winning position. I want to bat as much as possible, not just in India but everywhere in the world."