India took a significant step towards their third ICC Cricket World Cup title with a remarkable batting performance on a challenging pitch and a superb showing from their bowlers on Sunday against South Africa.
In a resounding victory by 243 runs over a strong South African side, India demonstrated their superiority over other teams in the tournament.
Celebrating his birthday, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century, scoring 101 runs, was the highlight of India’s total of 326 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, with Shreyas Iyer contributing 77 runs in a partnership that added 134 runs for the third wicket, after India’s captain Rohit Sharma won the toss.
Fresh off a dominating win over Sri Lanka, where they dismissed their opponents for just 55 runs, India’s formidable bowling attack wreaked havoc once again as they bundled out South Africa for a mere 83 runs, with Ravindra Jadeja taking five wickets.
This latest one-sided victory marked India’s eighth consecutive win in the tournament, a level of dominance never before seen in World Cup history during the league stage.
With their upcoming match against the Netherlands on November 12, Rohit Sharma’s team aims to break their ICC knockout stage curse, having suffered agonizing semi-final defeats in previous ICC events.
Despite the absence of the injured Hardik Pandya, this Indian squad possesses the potential to clinch the trophy on November 19.
South Africa, having also qualified for the semifinals with 12 points, had a chance to challenge India’s supremacy in the tournament, but were overwhelmed by the exceptional all-around performance of the Indian team.
Meanwhile, cricket legend Wasim Akram of Pakistan believes that this remarkable Indian team is unlikely to succumb to the pressure of a knockout match.
Akram was quoted as saying by A Sports, “I think only a Rest of the World team can be a fair battle with India.” He praised India’s complete control over all aspects of the game and congratulated Virat Kohli on his record-equalling century.
