India beat South Africa by 243 runs in a top of the clash of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Eden Gardens In Kolkata on Sunday (November 5). While India were number 1 and the Proteas number 2 in the round-robin stage before the match began, the way the Men in Blue dominated the game was a statement that they are way ahead than any other team in the competition. India won the toss and elected to bat first and went on to post 326/5 in what was a tricky surface.
Virat Kohli's hundred was the biggest takeaway from the match as he notched up his 49th ODI ton to equal his hero Sachin Tendulkar's record on his 35th birthday. He finished unbeaten on 101* off 121. But that was after captain Rohit Sharma provided a blistering start with 40 runs off just 24 balls. Shubman Gill added 23 runs to the scoreboard in 24 deliveries.
World Cup 2023: Ravindra Jadeja Scalps A Fifer As India Bowl Out South Africa For 83
Then post their dismissals, Kohli stitched a century stand with Shreyas Iyer, who contributed an impressive 77 runs from 87 balls before cameos from Ravindra Jadeja and Suryakumar Yadav helped them get to the total they eventually got. Jadeja then came back with a fifer to break the spine of the opposition batting.
South Africa's bowlers struggled to contain India's aggressive batting display. Lungi Ngidi picked up a solitary wicket, conceding 63 runs in 8.2 overs. Marco Jansen claimed one wicket but was expensive, giving away 94 runs in 9.4 overs. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj managed to take a wicket each, with economy rates of 4.80 and 3.00, respectively and were the best Proteas bowlers on display. Tabraiz Shamsi ended with one wicket but went for 72 runs in his 10 overs.
Chasing a substantial target of 327 runs for victory, South Africa's batsmen faced a relentless onslaught from the Indian bowlers. They were bundled out for a mere 83 runs in 27.1 overs, marking a staggering defeat of 243 runs. Other than Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammad Shami scalped two wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj picked up one crucial wicket.
It was Kohli who was adjudged the Player of the Match on his birthday. With this resounding victory, India have confirmed that they will remain at the top of the table irrespective of the result of their last round-robin clash against the Netherlands.