India, who have already qualified for the semi-finals, thrashed South Africa by 243 runs in a World Cup match in Kolkata on Sunday. The Proteas hitters were hopeless against the powerful Indian bowling assault, losing five wickets for just 40 runs in 13.1 overs. South Africa, who have built a reputation for playing brave cricket, couldn’t play the way they usually do and continued losing wickets at regular intervals. The Proteas were bowled out for 83 runs, their largest defeat in the World Cup.
India defeats South Africa by 243 runs in World Cup
Ravindra Jadeja, the left-arm off-spinner, was the unquestioned pick of the bowlers, taking five wickets for 33 runs. Batting first, Rohit Sharma went berserk, taking the Proteas bowlers to task, scoring 40 off 24 balls, including eight boundaries, as the Blues plundered more than 90 runs in the opening ten overs.
Both openers, Sharma and Shubman Gill, stepped back to the pavilion soon after, leaving their side behind 93-2 after 10.3 overs.
That’s when Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer put on a critical 134-run stand to help the Blues score runs on a challenging Kolkata wicket that made it difficult for hitters to confront bowlers, particularly spinners, between innings.
Despite the fact that the surface became tricky during the innings, Iyer and Kohli were able to settle down without disrupting the run rate courtesy to their skipper Sharma’s quick start. Iyer hit 77 off 87 balls with nine boundaries, including seven fours and two sixes, and sped up the innings just when it needed it.
However, Kohli was the focus of attention for a variety of reasons. On his 35th birthday, the 35-year-old produced a fantastic century, scoring 101 off 121 runs. Kohli’s 49th ODI century matched the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s record.
Kohli stayed until the final over, but he was helped by fast knocks from Suryakumar Yadav (22 off 14) and Ravindra Jadeja (29 off 15), raising India’s total to 326 runs in the allotted overs.
