On a day when it mattered the most, the Indian bowlers and fielders put in a commanding display against South Africa as the Indian team shrugged aside the number 1 team in the world to book a place in the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy. Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bowl first on a bright blue day in London. Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock started with caution as the Indian new ball bowlers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah were on the money right from the outset. The pressure kept on mounting and R Ashwin got rid of Hashim Amla to set the ball rolling for the boys in blue. However, things looked sedate when Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers were at the crease but all hell broke loose when both de Villiers and David Miller were sent packing in a single over after complete breakdown in communication.It was all downhill from there as the Indian bowlers never eased the pressure and eventually South Africa folded for 191. The chase was never going to be a daunting one for the Indian batsmen on a flat deck and even though Rohit Sharma was dismissed trying to force the issue, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli ensured that it was all smooth sailing for the team in the pursuit. India have now topped the group and will face Bangladesh in the semi-finals. Here is how the world reacted to India's thumping victory.
Jasprit Bumrah, Man of the Match: "It was an important game for us. We were looking forward to the game. We wanted to be calm and wanted to execute our plans in this game, so it worked out for us. I was happy to bowl with the new ball. We contained well at the start. The ball wasn't swinging, so we wanted to stick to a tight line. That was the basic plan for us. It was a good toss to win and bowl first because the wickets haven't be helping the fast bowlers. Morris can be dangerous in this situation, so it was good to get his wicket. It was a good toss to win and bowl first because the wickets haven't be helping the fast bowlers. Chasing has been relatively easier."
Virat Kohli, captain, India: "It was a good toss to win. The wicket didn't change much. Our bowlers bowled really well. Always good to get him (AB) out early. He can really hurt you in the middle overs. It was important for someone to bat till the end. Shikhar was batting very well. Even Yuvi wanted to finish the game along with me to take some confident to the semis. We played in Birmingham. We really like that stadium and we really like that pitch as well. It suits out style of cricket as well."
AB de Villiers, captain, South Africa: "It's not an ideal way to finish the tournament. Very disappointing. Credit to them for playing well. They put pressure on us. We never got going. We were hoping to play a better game of cricket today.They bowled pretty well. They didn't miss the mark at all. We had a lot of soft dismissals."
Other reactions from the cricketing fraternity:
Anjum Chopra:
Irfan Pathan:
Herschelle Gibbs:
Michael Vaughan:
Subramanium Badrinath
Ishant Sharma
Harbhajan Singh
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