After India became the first team to secure a place in the semi-finals, they will face South Africa in the top clash on Sunday. At the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
India will face South Africa in the 37th match of the Cricket World Cup at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. India have won every match of the tournament so far and beat Sri Lanka by 302 runs in the 33rd match at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. South Africa only lost one game in the competition and beat six other teams in the competition. The day-night ODI will begin in Kolkata at 2:00 pm local time.
India put up one of the best all-round ODI performances in the last game but lost their captain from the second ball of the innings. This game will be much tougher but it would be a big surprise if India couldn't win this match.
Despite losing to the Netherlands in the 2023 Cricket World Cup, South Africa otherwise performed brilliantly throughout the tournament. However, this will be their biggest test yet and a win would make them real contenders for the trophy.
Match Preview
India will face South Africa in the 37th match of the 2023 Cricket World Cup on Sunday (November 5). This exciting game will take place at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
India have won all seven matches and are in first place. South Africa have won six of seven games and are in second place. India has already qualified for the next round while South Africa awaits the semi-finals of this game.
India faced Sri Lanka in their last game and their innings started with Rohit Sharma's early defeat but Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill combined effectively and added 189 runs for the second wicket. They took India close to the 200-run mark before Dilshan Madushanka dismissed both of them. Gill scored 92 and Kohli 88. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul contributed cautiously, adding 60 runs for the fourth wicket. Iyer scored 82 to help India cross 300 and Ravindra Jadeja's quick 35 took the total to 357 for 8. Dilshan Madushanka was Sri Lanka's standout bowler with five wickets for 80 runs.
Sri Lanka's chase started disastrously, losing four wickets for just three runs in the fourth over. Only one Sri Lankan batsman reached double figures and in the end they were bowled out for just 55 in 19.4 overs and suffered a heavy 302-run defeat. Mohammed Shami continued his strong bowling form with a five-wicket haul, supported by Mohammed Siraj's three wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja took a wicket each.
In the recent game against New Zealand, South Africa secured a convincing win by a margin of 190 runs, defending their total of 358 runs. Quinton de Kock and Rassie van der Dussen both played key roles, scoring centuries for South Africa, while David Miller also contributed with a half-century. From New Zealand's perspective, Glenn Phillips was New Zealand's top scorer with 60 runs and 50 deliveries, but apart from him only two other New Zealand batsmen managed to score double figures.
Pitch Report
The surface could provide excellent support to the bowlers in this game. The average first innings total in the last five games here was 198 runs. The team that wins the toss will likely bat here.
Toss Prediction
Although the Eden Gardens tournament has so far had one winner batting first and one batting second, we expect both teams will want to bat first should they win toss.
Weather Report
The weather forecast promises sunny spells at the start of this game before thicker clouds arrive later in Kolkata. It will be consistently humid and the temperature will be above 30 degrees.
Head to Head
Both teams have played 90 ODIs against each other so far. South Africa has defeated India 50 times while India has won 37 times. 3 games ended without a result.
Venue Details
The average first innings score at Eden Gardens in Kolkata is 234. The highest score achieved at the venue is India's 404-5 against Sri Lanka in 2014. Although this has not been a particularly high-scoring venue in recent times, The batting strength is so high on both sides that it won't be surprising if scores over 320-330 are scored in the two innings. The team batting first would try to set a target of around 280-300 runs.
Match Prediction
Whenever the top two meet in a major tournament, you can expect a game where both teams will want to be extremely confident. That's what we expect in this game as both sets of players have a high level of confidence following their recent wins. South Africa are a brilliant ODI team but few of their players would make it into a joint starting XI with India and our prediction is that India will win.
India beat South Africa.
Betting Tips
India and South Africa are two of the strongest teams in this tournament and we can expect an exciting competition between the two. Although this is one of the toughest games to decide, we will be betting on India to win. The hosts were impeccable in their game and on a pitch that is not particularly easy to beat, India have a slight lead.
Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
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India Key Players
Virat Kohli - the right-handed number three batsman hit 11 fours in the last game before being dismissed for a slower ball. Before Saturday's games, only Quinton de Kock had scored more runs in the tournament.
Shubman Gill – the 24-year-old opener scored his highest score of the competition with a run a ball 92. His innings included 11 fours and two sixes.
Mohammed Shami – the right-arm fast bowler took 5/18 from five overs against Sri Lanka and has taken 438 wickets during his international career.
Jasprit Bumrah - The pace bowler took a wicket with the first ball of the innings when he caught Pathum Nissanka lbw on Thursday. With the new ball he is able to generate an enormous amount of momentum.
South Africa Key Players
Quinton de Kock - the left-handed opener has already hit four centuries in the 2023 Cricket World Cup but can struggle against spinners who turn the ball away from him.
Heinrich Klaasen – the powerful middle order batsman is brilliant against spin and very good against pace bowlers. Although he only faced seven balls in the 32nd match, he still hit a four and a six in his 15th game.
Marco Jansen - the bowling all-rounder - has been a big part of South Africa's success in the tournament so far, dismissing Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Tim Southee in the win over New Zealand.
Kagiso Rabada – The 28-year-old right-arm pacer is a brilliant bowler who combines accuracy and consistency with raw pace. He took 1/16 from six overs in the last game, including two maidens.
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