India unleashed a remarkable performance, crushing South Africa by a whopping 243 runs in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. The highlight of the match was Virat Kohli’s extraordinary 49th century, achieved on his 35th birthday, securing his place as one of the all-time greats in ODIs.
The Indian team set the tone right from the beginning with a blistering start from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill. Their aggressive batting laid the foundation for an impressive innings, which included a magnificent century from Virat Kohli and a spirited fifty from Shreyas Iyer. The late onslaught from Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja pushed India’s total over the 300-run mark.
South Africa, although showing resilience in the field, struggled to contain India’s strong start and finish. Virat Kohli’s milestone century added to their woes, making him one of the joint-highest century-makers in ODIs.
India’s bowlers made an immediate impact with the new ball, dismantling South Africa’s top-order in the initial Powerplay. Ravindra Jadeja was the star of the show, consistently taking wickets to disrupt the Proteas’ progress.
Mohammed Siraj provided an early breakthrough for India, dismissing Quinton de Kock. De Kock had just reached 1000 runs in Cricket World Cup. The Indian pacers continued to build pressure, employing a series of dot balls.
Rohit Sharma’s strategic use of Ravindra Jadeja in the Powerplay paid dividends as he cleaned up the stumps of Temba Bavuma. Mohammed Shami contributed with a crucial wicket, sending Aiden Markram back to the pavilion.
India’s disciplined bowling attack ensured regular breakthroughs. Jadeja and Shami benefited from strategic reviews initiated by Rohit. When Jadeja removed David Miller, South Africa’s chase appeared futile, and they were eventually bowled out in the 28th over.
In the first innings, India’s batsmen dominated from the outset, with eight fours in the first four overs, five of which were struck by Rohit Sharma.
Rohit continued his onslaught with additional boundaries and two towering sixes off Lungi Ngidi. However, his aggressive approach was curtailed by Kagiso Rabada’s brilliant catch.
Virat Kohli, on his 35th birthday, maintained the run flow, while Shubman Gill’s wicket fell to a remarkable delivery by Keshav Maharaj.
As South African spinners capitalized on the pitch conditions, scoring opportunities dwindled for the Indian batsmen. From Gill’s dismissal until the 25-over mark, Kohli and Iyer managed only three more boundaries.
The shackles were finally broken in the 28th over when Iyer smashed Tabraiz Shamsi for a towering six. This unleashed a flurry of boundaries as India pushed the scoring rate above six runs an over. However, Iyer’s departure in the 37th over slowed down India’s scoring momentum.
The teams engaged in a fierce battle in the death overs, with India striving to accelerate their scoring rate through aggressive stroke-play by Suryakumar Yadav, while South Africa attempted to regain control with disciplined fielding.
Ravindra Jadeja’s powerful blows propelled India to a total of 326/5, with Kohli remaining unbeaten at 101*. Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first in Kolkata, and South Africa made only one change, with Tabraiz Shamsi replacing Gerald Coetzee.
India remains the undefeated side in the tournament, with Mohammed Shami’s exceptional form proving to be a significant asset. He has claimed 14 wickets at an astonishing average of 6.71, consistently troubling opposition batsmen.
South Africa’s primary concern has been their performance while chasing. In two instances of batting second, they faced defeat against the Netherlands in a low-scoring encounter and narrowly won against Pakistan in Chennai with one wicket in hand.
