On Sunday, November 5, at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, Team India triumphed over South Africa in the 2023 World Cup. Their victory was a resounding one, by 243 runs.
Standout performances on the day came from well-known players such as Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma. Kohli’s 49th ODI century was particularly note-worthy. This batting milestone earned him the “Player of the Match” title.
The victory assured that the Men in Blue would meet the fourth-placed team in the semifinals. They will be overjoyed with their victory against South Africa.
On that point, here are three takeaways from Team India’s overwhelming 2023 World Cup victory over South Africa.
1. Ravindra Jadeja shines with the bat, shows his best form in a long time
Ravindra Jadeja hasn’t been at his best with the bat in ODIs for a long, but he showed signs of regaining form against South Africa. He hit an unbeaten 29 from 29 balls, including a monster six and several neatly placed fours, to help India to a plainly above-par total.
Jadeja did perform a significant innings against New Zealand as the Men in Blue won by four wickets, but his batting has hitherto been unimpressive at the World Cup. An innings like this would have given both him and the team management confidence in his ability to finish the innings, especially in the absence of Hardik Pandya.
2. India Humiliates the Second-Best Team with a 243-Run Win
Clearly, India’s current leading position in the World Cup has been impressive. Their decisive victories over England and Sri Lanka, both at the lower end of the points rankings, isn’t surprising.
The match against South Africa was widely viewed as a closely fought battle, considering both teams’ high standings in the world’s most elite cricket tournament. What else could one anticipate from such top rank teams?
Well, it was far from competitive. India not only won, but also by 243 runs, delivering the Proteas their biggest defeat (by runs) in ODI history. The hosts also bowled the opponents out for the joint-lowest total in the format’s history.
Oh, and India achieved it without their vice-captain, who is perhaps their most important ODI player.
3. Rohit Sharma Takes Revenge on Marco Jansen for His Sri Lanka Out
After being utterly taken aback by Dilshan Madushanka in India’s earlier 2023 World Cup match against Sri Lanka, Rohit Sharma may have been hesitant to target Marco Jansen. The towering left-hander has been the competition’s most potent powerplay danger, with some help from the weather.
Rohit, on the other hand, demonstrated why he is a formidable powerplay danger in his own right. To put it in context, South Africa as a team couldn’t match India’s powerplay, which was controlled by the opener’s superb strokeplay.
The middle overs were difficult to bat in, and while Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer played important roles in India’s victory, Rohit probably had the game won by the time he was out. And he accomplished it in the face of a lethal Proteas bowling onslaught.
