India blow away South Africa to raise hopes of third World Cup triumph

05.11.2023 - 17:31 channelnewsasia.com

KOLKATA : It was meant to be a battle between the two World Cup heavyweights but the manner in which South Africa were blown away by India on Sunday illustrated the gulf between the hosts and the rest of the teams competing at the 2023 tournament.Three days after they skittled out Sri Lanka for just 55 runs to record a huge 302-run victory over the 1996 World Cup champions, India's batting and bowling were once again on fire at Eden Gardens.A century from Virat Kohli and a five-wicket haul from Ravindra Jadeja spurred the host nation to a 243-run win over South Africa - their heaviest ever World Cup defeat.South Africa arrived in Kolkata with high hopes of defeating India considering they had won six of their previous seven matches and also enjoyed the kudos of being the only team to have beaten India when the Asian side last hosted the tournament in 2011.On that occasion India imploded and lost their last six wickets for 13 runs as South Africa secured a three-wicket win with two balls to spare in a group-stage match in Nagpur.Twelve years on and South Africa suffered the ignominy of being bowled out by India for 83 - their lowest ever total in a 50-over World Cup. "The first 10 overs with the ball made it a challenge," said South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, whose side struggled to contain a rampant Indian side which reached 61-0 after five overs and then 91-1 after 10 overs."Biggest challenge was taking wickets and India built big stands.

The conditions are the biggest learning. Wicket played as we suspected it to play - expected it to deteriorate but we didn't adapt well.

It will be up to us to adapt our skills accordingly."Inevitably India did not sustain the early 12.2 or 9.10 run rates over 50 overs but a rock

bowling record Rock classical cup Temba Bavuma Eden Gardens South Africa India Sri Lanka

Thursday turned out be an another heartbreak for South Africa as Australia crushed their hopes of lifting the ODI World Cup 2023 title. The Proteas faced a shocking three-wicket defeat against the Aussies in the semi-final, which turned out to be a low-scoring thriller in Kolkata. Chasing a below-par score of 213, Australia lost kept on losing wickets at regular intervals but Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc held their nerves and took their side across the line with 16 balls to spare.

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The Cricket World Cup semi-final witnessed a controversy right before the match between India and New Zealand, as accusations of the pitch being swapped at the last minute were made at the Board of Control for Cricket India. The match turned out to be a high-scoring contest, with India emerging victorious. The second semi-final also saw a used pitch being deployed for the contest between Australia and South Africa. After the Aussies won the game by the barest of margins, pacer Mitchell Starc had a cheeky take on the pitch for the final.

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KOLKATA: Travis Head starred with bat and ball as Australia set up a World Cup final clash with India after a tense three-wicket win over South Africa in Kolkata on Thursday. Chasing a tricky 213 for victory, Australia wobbled after Head hit 62 but Steve Smith (30) and Josh Inglis (28) helped the five-time champions reach their target with 16 balls to spare in the second semifinal in Kolkata. As Australia reached an eighth World Cup final, South Africa were left to rue a fifth semifinal loss despite David Miller’s 101. Australia slipped to 137-5 and then 193-7 before Mitchell Starc (16) and skipper Pat Cummins (14) kept their nerve to steer the team home. Left-hand batsman and part-time off-spinner Head stood out after taking two wickets and then with his 48-ball innings laced with nine fours and two sixes. Australia were in trouble when they were five down as spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi struck in quick succession to rattle the middle-order. Maharaj bowled Head, who was dropped on 40 and 57, and Shamsi, a left-arm wrist spinner, trapped Marnus Labuschagne lbw for 18 and bowled Glenn Maxwell for one in his next over. Australia started the tournament with two losses but registered their eighth straight win. Starc led the bowling charge with figures of 3-34 and Cummins also picked three wickets to bowl out South Africa for 212 in 49.4 overs. Left-arm quick Starc struck in the first over to send back South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who had said he was not “100 percent fit” at the toss, for a fourth-ball duck. Josh Hazlewood claimed the wicket of in-form Quinton de Kock for three as Cummins took a stunning catch. De Kock, who will quit one-day international after the World Cup, ended with 594 runs including

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David Miller Becomes First South Africa Player To Achieve This Big World Cup Feat

South African middle-order batter David Miller made history on Thursday, smashing the first-ever century by a Proteas batter in an ICC Cricket World Cup knockout match. Miller accomplished this milestone during the semifinal match of the ICC Cricket World Cup against Australia at Kolkata's Eden Gardens. Miller walked in at 24/4 and smashed a memorable century despite all odds. He scored 101 runs in 116 balls. His knock consisted of eight fours and five sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of over 87.