CWC 2023, IND vs SA: Kohli equals Sachin's 49 ODI centuries; India complete biggest win over SA

CWC 2023, India vs South Africa: Virat Kohli's 49 ODI hundred (101*), Shreyas Iyer's 77 and Ravindra Jadeja's 29 & 5-33 are top performance. India beat South Africa by 243 runs and stay top of the points table.

Virat Kohli scored 49th ODI hundred (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Brief Scores: India 326/5 (Kohli 101*, Shreyas 66*, Maharaj 1/30) beat South Africa 83/10 (Ravindra Jadeja 5/33, Kuldeep 2/7, Jansen 14) by 243 runs.

Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (101* in 121 balls)

India continued their dominant show this World Cup as they cruised home to a 243-run win, this time against a formidable South Africa side. This is their 8th successive win in the Cricket World Cup 2023, and it would make them the No.1 team going into the semi-finals.

India opted to bat first in their penultimate group stage against South Africa. The hosts played with the same team, while the Proteas brought back Shamsi for this clash of table toppers.

The sides have met each other 5 times in World Cups, with South Africa coming on top 3 occasions.

Talking Points from India vs South Africa game, CWC 2023

The major positive for India has to be their performance as a team batting first. They proved their dominance chasing targets successfully in the first 5 games, and when the question mark was raised on how the team would respond while putting runs on board, they produced another masterful batting show, this time against a strong SA attack.

The other talking point has to be Kohli’s 49th ODI ton. Although it came in 120 balls, the going was tough on that track, but India’s No.3 showed his class once again.

After opting to bat, Rohit Shamra and Gill played with the usual flair they had almost throughout the tournament as they added 62 runs in just 35 balls, with Rohit smashing 40 off 24. India reached 91 in the first powerplay, and things got difficult then. Both Iyer and Kohli played with caution as it was not easy to score against spin, especially Keshav Maharaj. But the pair added a crucial 138 runs for the 3rd wicket as they laid a solid platform for the lower middle-order to launch. Jadeja and Surya did that with Kohli, as India amassed 326/5 in their 50 overs.

Putting runs was always South Africa’s strong suite this World Cup, and they had a huge ask. They didn’t have the best of starts as they lost the in-form Quinton de Kock in the 2nd over, and then it was the dominance of India bowlers at the Eden Gardens. Shami and Jadeja shared 5 wickets among them to reduce Proteas to 59/6. After that, it was a mere formality as India won their 8th straight game of this World Cup.

Read More: CWC 2023, IND vs SL: Pacers dismantle SL; India progress to semi-final stage

Top 3 performances from the game between India and South Africa

Virat Kohli equals Sachin's 49th ODI hundred record (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Virat Kohli equals Sachin Tendulkar’s 49 ODI ton on his birthday

Eden Gardens is where Virat Kohli made his maiden ODI ton, and he completed a circle as he made his historic record-equalling 49th at the same venue in a World Cup game. India's openers did give a rollicking start, but things got tougher as the ball got old, and the onus fell on Kohli to stay till the end.

He did the same while notching his 6th 50-plus score of this World Cup in 67 balls and converted that into the 3-figure score, which kept eluding him in the last few games. His unbeaten 101 off 120 took India to an above-par 325 on a tricky surface.

Read More: India's Bowling Brilliance: A Six-Game Symphony of Supremacy in CWC 2023

Iyer scored gritty 77 against South Africa (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Shreyas Iyer once again shines with the bat on a tough surface

Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli at 93/2 in the 11th over, and things slowed down a bit for the hosts after that whirlwind beginning. He was tentative at the initial phase of his innings, scoring just his first 11 runs from 30 balls, and it was an unusually slow start by him. But he picked up the pace as he got used to the surface, bringing up his 3rd fifty in this World Cup in 64 deliveries. He eventually got out on a well-made 77 from 87 balls and did his job perfectly.

Read More: CWC 2023, IND vs ENG: India's bowlers decimate Eng: hosts back to no. 1 spot

Jadeja's all-round show (29* & 5-33) helps India beat SA (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Ravindra Jadeja produces an all-round show at Eden Gardens

Ravindra Jadeja has been an unsung hero for India in this campaign, picking 8 9 wickets and scoring crucial 81 runs with the bat lower down the order. In this game, Jadeja came at the fall of Surya’s wicket with India on 286/5 at the 45-over mark. The team needed him to do the final flourish, and Jadeja responded with a great cameo of 29* from 14. With the ball, Jadeja started the collapse when he dismantled Bavuma’s stumps and followed up the wickets of Klaasen & Miller.

Read More: CWC 2023, IND vs NZ: Shami takes fifer, Kohli scores 95 to execute another successful chase

Statistical highlights from India vs South Africa game, CWC 2023

• Rohit Sharma got out against Kagiso Rabada for the 5th time in ODIs. Rohit has scored 131 runs off 160 balls from Rabada.

• The third wicket partnership of 134 runs between Virat Kohli & Shreyas Iyer is the highest for this wicket for India in ODI WC against SA.

• Virat Kohli went past Kumar Sangakkara (1532) to become the third-highest run-scorer in the ODI WC.

• Virat Kohli scored his 49th ODI hundred to equal Sachin Tendulkar's record for most ODI centuries in the game's history.

• Quinton de Kock became the fourth SA batter to score 1000 runs in ODI WC.

• 5/33 is the best-ever bowling performance by Ravindra Jadeja in a World Cup game, and it is his 2nd five-wicket haul in ODI.

• The 243-run win is India's biggest in ODIs against SA.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Points Table

India remain at the top of the table

What to come and points table

Both these sides have qualified for the Semifinals already, and the respective final league game is a dead rubber for them. But South Africa, after this defeat, would want to finish on a high against Afghanistan at Ahmedabad, while India will take on the Netherlands.

Read More: CWC 2023, SA vs NZ: Proteas display batting prowess; Kiwis drop to 4th place

Top Twitter Reactions from India vs South Africa, Kolkata, CWC 2023

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar congratulate Virat Kohli on equalling his 49 ODI hundred record.

Read More: Captain No. 1: Rohit Sharma is making India look good in World Cup 2023