India clinched a 243-run victory over South Africa in today’s Cricket World Cup match; however, the Proteas are still set for the semi-final thanks to Pakistan’s Fakhar Zaman, who hit a century to secure a 21-run victory over New Zealand on Saturday.
SA Cricket Mag reports that India’s performance was a mix of aggressive play and strategic finesse, setting a challenging target for South Africa. The Indian team’s batting order showed depth and resilience, contributing to a score that proved too steep for their opponents.
Also read: Proteas set to take on CWC semi-finals as Pakistan beats New Zealand
South Africa, on the other hand, faced a tough start and couldn’t recover from the early setbacks. Quinton de Kock’s dismissal for a mere 5 runs, courtesy of Mohammed Siraj’s sharp bowling, signalled the beginning of a challenging inning for the team. Siraj, with his economical 1/11, laid the groundwork for what was to become a difficult chase for South Africa.
Ravi Jadeja’s exceptional bowling, with figures of 5/33 from nine overs, further tightened India’s grip on the match. His performance was pivotal in undermining the South African batting lineup, leaving them struggling at 3/35 following Aiden Markram’s dismissal.
The situation for South Africa grew more dire with two critical LBW decisions, which, after reviews, left them reeling at 6/59. After these dismissals, South Africa’s strategy shifted to damage control, focusing on batting for time and the net run rate. Only Marco Jansen, David Miller and van der Dussen managed to cross the double-figure mark, a testament to India’s bowling dominance.
Virat Kohli, named Player of the Match, commented:
‘It was a big game. We were playing the toughest team in the tournament; they have played amazing cricket so far. I had the motivation to do well, especially because of my birthday. It felt like it was going to be something more. I woke up excited. When the openers start well, you feel like it’s a belter, but the pitch slowed down quite a bit. It was about doing my role and the job the team requires of me. Once we were above 315, we knew we were above par and in a comfortable position. I am enjoying myself. I am happy that God has blessed me with the enjoyment of cricket again. Sachin is quite special; it is too much to take in to equal my hero’s record. I will never be as good as him. He will always be my hero, regardless of what happens. To get his appreciation means a lot to me.’
South African Captain Temba Bavuma addressed the team’s performance, acknowledging the challenges they faced in chasing the target:
‘We know what the narrative about us about chasing is. We didn’t do our batting justice. We will have a conversation as a batting group. They got 90 in the first ten, and we weren’t able to calm down the run rate. The challenge was taking wickets. We came back nicely with the ball. We have learned about the conditions – the wicket played as we expected and deteriorated. We have to look at the conditions and adapt our skills.’
Bangladesh plays Sri Lanka tomorrow, and Afghanistan plays Australia in a crucial game on Tuesday.
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Picture: @ProteasMenCSA / X