Gautam Gambhir believes South Africa’s batsmen will be exceedingly apprehensive and timid if they are able to play their 2023 World Cup semi-final at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.
On Sunday, November 5, India set the Proteas a 327-run goal at the historic stadium. Temba Bavuma and company were subsequently swept out for 83, resulting in a 243-run defeat.
Talking about the game on Star Sports, Gambhir suggested South Africa could be cautious of their semi-final match in Kolkata. He explained:
“The way South Africa got exposed today, I believe they weren’t exposed in this match only, it would have put a huge dent for the upcoming matches as well. If your semi-final is at the Eden, the conditions won’t change too much. I believe they might be extremely nervous and tentative when they come back to the Eden Gardens.”
Gautam Gambhir
The former India opener stated that the pitch was devoid of monsters. He stated:
“After looking at the scorecard, if someone tells me that it was an unplayable or turning track – not at all, because the ball didn’t turn much. It shows that high-quality bowling can expose any batting unit.”
Gautam Gambhir
South African players failed to score even 15 runs. Only three hitters reached double figures, with Marco Jansen (14) leading the way.
“If you don’t have any answer against high-quality bowling, it could be difficult for you going forward” – Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir believes South Africa’s performance was unworthy of a title challenger. He stated:
“If you don’t have any answer against high-quality bowling, it could be difficult for you going forward. The real world champion will be the one who gives good performances in every condition and situation.”
Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir said that the Proteas succumbed on a pitch that wasn’t a rank turner against Ravindra Jadeja. He noticed:
“If you see South Africa’s performance before this match, they scored 400 runs at the Wankhede and 350-400 in Delhi, but the real challenge was today. If you talk about Jadeja, he picked up five wickets, and there wasn’t even a single delivery that turned square.”
Gautam Gambhir
South Africa is set for their semi-final game in Kolkata. This holds unless they, or Pakistan, end up in the league phase’s fourth position. India is all set to play their semi-final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. That’s the plan unless they face off with the Men in Green.