India vs South Africa Cricket World Cup 2023
The real show begins. It is almost a preview for the knockout stages. India and South Africa, the top teams of this tournament so far, will clash against each other on 5 November 2023 at Eden Gardens. This match will spark the debate: Who is the better team, India or South Africa? We will find that out together in this article. From Match previews to highlights, you will get everything. So what are you waiting for? Keep reading.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup points table 2023
Live streaming
As India and South Africa compete in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, cricket fans from both nations are coming together, even if it’s only online, to watch the game live.
Read: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Live Streaming
People in India watch the sport with friends and family while snacking on samosas, pakoras, and tea. They gather in South Africa to eat boerewors rolls and bunny chows.
The passion for cricket, along with traditions and solidarity, is palpable. South African supporters may dance and play drums, while Indian supporters may wave flags. This match brings individuals from different cultures together and provides amazing moments about more than simply the game.
Match preview
Journey so far
India has had a fantastic journey so far. They are unbeaten in their home grounds. Can this World Cup get any better than this? Match after match, India has proved why it is one of the best ODI sides in the world right now. People may say they are taking the home advantage, so what? Every team does that. They have beaten two out of the top 4 teams so far. Now, it is time for South Africa to taste the music.
Read: India Squad for ICC World Cup 2023 [Announced]
If we talk about South Africa, they have a solid team. Quinton, Bavuma, RVD, Klaasen, etc, you name it. All of their players have performed. Apart from the defeat against the Netherlands and almost choking against Pakistan, they have dominated the matches. When given the chance to bat first, they have consistently scored more than 300 runs in this World Cup. The Proteas are the right fit to see if India has it in them to win against stronger sides.
Check: South African Team for ICC World Men’s World Cup 2023
Pitch report
Eden Gardens has always smiled on the batters. However, there hasn’t been a high-scoring match on this surface so far. The pacers and the spinners have ruled the games. Firstly, the spinners made it hard for the batters to score.
And once you don’t throw away your wickets to spinners, Pakistani pacers showed their majic and proved this pitch has something to offer the bowlers. Are the batters, the spinners, or the pacers who have any advantage here? We will have a much better clue after this match.
Key players
Both teams are filled with match winners. But we will try to talk more about that one player from each team who might be the show’s star in this match. You can call it the POTM prediction as well. Firstly, let’s see who has been the top performer for both teams.
| INDIA | SOUTH AFRICA |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Quinton de Kock |
| Rohit Sharma | Aiden Markram |
| Mohammad Shami | Marco Jansen |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Tabraiz Shamsi |
From South Africa, Marco Jansen can be the man of the match. Jansen has been performing, scoring runs, taking wickets, and being the terrific allrounder that he is. His outswingers and cutters will be detrimental to the Indian batters. At the same time, his pinch-hitting ability will cause problems for Indian pacers. If South Africa wins, he might be the POTM.
If we look towards the Indian camp, Jasprit Bumrah can be the man of the match. His bowling has been picture-perfect. It is like a perfect symphony, with immaculate rhymes of line and length and an absolute blend of inswinging and outswinging deliveries. South African batters are yet to face a bowler like him.
Head-to-head record
In the last 5 ODI, South Africa has won 3 while India has won 2 matches. Is this enough to make a prediction? I say no. However, it gives perspective on how the teams behave when playing each other. South Africa has this losing streak for now. It has lost the last 2 ODIs it played against India. And they lost those matches with big margins. Can it affect the team’s performance? Will it have a psychological impact on the Proteas? Maybe.
Possible playing 11 and strategies
While India will likely go unchanged, South Africa may go for an extra spinner in the shape of Tabraiz Shamis. India can play Ashwin instead of any other pacer, but who will they replace him with? That is the central question. It all comes down to playing on your strengths while balancing the circumstances, pitch situation, and whatnot.
Predictions
It is about time India faced a defeat. They are aiming for 18 points for sure. However, this is South Africa we are talking about. India has a stronger chance if they let the Proteas chase. Other than that, it doesn’t seem like the South Africans are in the mood to lose this match. I say the prediction goes 55-45 in favor of SOUTH AFRICA. The match will go close. However, the Proteas will win.
Highlights
India won the toss and chose to bat first. This is a recipe for disaster for South Africa. Indian batters will destroy the bowlers.
| INDIA | SOUTH AFRICA |
|---|---|
| Rohit Sharma | Quinton de Kock |
| Shubhman Gill | Temba Bavuma |
| Virat Kohli | Rassie van der Dussen |
| KL Rahul | Aiden Markram |
| Shreyas Iyer | Hienrich Klaasen |
| Suryakumar Yadav | David Miller |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Marco Jansen |
| Mohammad Shami | Keshav Maharaj |
| Jasprit Bumrah | Lungi Ngidi |
| Mohammad Siraj | Kagiso Rababda |
| Kuldeep Yadav | Tabraiz Shamsi |
First Innings – India
| INDIA 326-5 (50 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Rohit Sharma 40 (25) | Keshav Maharaj 1-30 |
| Virat Kohli 101 (121) | Kagiso Rabada 1-48 |
| Shreyas Iyer 77 (87) | Tabraiz Shamsi 1-72 |
| TARGET | 327 runs in 50 overs |
- India’s excellent batting performance has allowed them to reach an above-par total on a slowish wicket.
- After winning the toss and electing to bat, India’s skipper Rohit Sharma fired and got India off to a flying start.
- His easy 40 off 24 balls was essential in setting the tone for the middle order. He died while attempting to hit Rabada, although he had already completed his mission.
- Gill got off to a good start but couldn’t turn it into a huge one as Maharaj outfoxed him with a beautiful delivery.
- Kohli and Iyer took their time initially, but once they got their eye in, they constantly found boundaries.
- Iyer, in particular, altered gears and maintained the momentum. Iyer left against the run of play, and Rahul followed suit, but Kohli remained firm at the other end and kept the scoreboard ticking.
- He slowed down before his century, but Jadeja came out and took off right away. Kohli ultimately hit his 49th ODI century, equaling Sachin’s record, and Jadeja gave the finishing touch.
- Maharaj and Rabada bowled fantastic stints, while the rest of the bowlers struggled today.
- Can South Africa chase this one?
Second Innings – South Africa
| SOUTH AFRICA 83-10 (27.1 overs) | |
| BATTING | BOWLING |
| Marco Jansen 14 (30) | Ravindra Jadeja 5-33 |
| Rassie van der Dussen 13 (32) | Kuldeep Yadav 2-7 |
| David Miller 11 (11) | Mohammed Shami 2-18 |
| RESULT | India won by 243 runs |
- SA didn’t even make it through 30 overs. COLLAPSED
- 326 runs seemed easy to chase. South Africa had crossed this mark a lot of times in this tournament. But when SA came out to bat, we knew it was miles above standard.
- Bumrah’s unplayable form continued. Siraj nipped out QDK early in the chop.
- Jadeja was summoned early by Rohit and proceeded on a wicket-taking frenzy.
- Shami came in with two, and Kuldeep arrived to finish off the tail. This Indian cricket squad is a suitable substitute for the word clinical.
- Excellent day for Jadeja
Man of the match
This birthday couldn’t get any better for king Kohli. He scored a ton on his birthday and won the man of the match. THis wasn’t an easy wicket to score on. However, Kohli showed class and played a clinical ODI knock.
