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In a 2023 World Cup clash that was expected to be tightly competitive, Team India steamrolled South Africa by 243 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 5.
With the win, the Men in Blue ensured that they'll finish the league stage of the tournament at the top of the table, setting up a semifinal clash against the fourth-placed team.
India have been completely unstoppable and have just one league game left, against the Netherlands in Bengaluru on November 12. Their latest fixture against the Proteas emphasized how tough it will be for opposition teams to outplay the hosts.
On that note, here are three players who starred and two who flopped for Team India in their World Cup 2023 match against South Africa.
#5 Star - Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja had a field day in all departments on Sunday. He kicked things off with a superb cameo at the death, striking three fours and a six to inject some momentum into the innings with Virat Kohli struggling at the other end.
Jadeja then really took over in the second innings. With the pitch gripping and turning, the left-arm spinner ran riot to pick up five wickets, including the massive ones of David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen.
Jadeja even took a couple of catches, one of which was a caught-and-bowled chance. It was perhaps a touch unfair that he wasn't adjudged the Player of the Match, but Kohli too had a once-in-a-lifetime day.
#4 Flop - Shubman Gill
It's definitely harsh to feature Shubman Gill on this list, but he was one of only two Indian batters who wouldn't have been satisfied with his contribution to the first-inning score. Moreover, he has been dismissed in this fashion a few times by left-arm spinners, even as recently as the Asia Cup by Dunith Wellalage.
Speaking of the wicket, Keshav Maharaj got a delivery to dip significantly and turn from the leg stump to hit the top of the off. It was a practically unplayable ball, but Gill needs to work on his game against left-arm spinners in general. As someone who doesn't play the conventional sweep often, the opener is susceptible to certain modes of dismissal against spin.
Gill hasn't been at his consistent best in the 2023 World Cup so far, but he is bound to come into his own as the knockouts approach.
#3 Star - Shreyas Iyer
Another excellent player of spin on the Indian team, Shreyas Iyer, lived up to his billing with arguably the best knock of his World Cup campaign so far. The batter kept his calm in challenging conditions and notched up an impressive half-century.
Shreyas started slow, and there was some criticism of his approach. But once he got used to the wicket, he started playing his shots, and they came off against both pace and spin. The No. 4 batter hit seven fours and cleared the boundary twice to play the dominant role in his partnership with Virat Kohli.
Shreyas has really stamped his authority on India's last two matches, against Sri Lanka and South Africa respectively.
#2 Flop - KL Rahul
KL Rahul was the only Indian batter to be dismissed for single digits against the Proteas. He started off extremely slowly even though he had a platform to tee off from, and Kohli's slowdown at the other end didn't help matters.
Rahul eventually tried to break free of the expensive Marco Jansen but didn't get the shot off the middle and holed out in the deep. His wicket prevented Kohli from going hard in the following overs, with only Jadeja left in the shed after Suryakumar Yadav replaced him at the crease.
#1 Star - Rohit Sharma
Kohli's century and his partnership with Shreyas were superb, Jadeja's all-round showing was incredible, and the fast bowlers performed their roles perfectly. But the man who made a massive difference before anyone else was Rohit Sharma.
Up against a deadly bowling attack, including the leading powerplay wicket-taker of the tournament in Jansen, Rohit didn't let South Africa settle and got India ahead of the game soon after it began. He played some sensational strokes in the powerplay to put the Proteas under pressure and force a bunch of errors.
Rohit's knock lasted only 32 minutes, but it's arguable that he sealed the game in India's favor in that short timeframe. He has been unreal in the World Cup so far.
