In the 37th match of the ICC World Cup 2023, played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, India, who are still undefeated, crushed South Africa by 243 runs on Sunday.
The Proteas' batsmen were rendered useless as they lost five wickets for just 40 runs in 13.1 overs, unable to withstand the lethal Indian bowling assault.
Despite being known for their daring style of cricket, South Africa was unable to play at their usual level and continued to lose wickets on occasion. The Proteas suffered their worst loss of the World Cup after being all out for 83 runs. The left-arm off-spinner Ravindra Jadeja was without a doubt the best bowler, taking five wickets for 33 runs.
The Blues had amassed more than 90 runs in the 10 overs when Rohit Sharma, batting first, went on a rampage and put the Proteas bowlers to task, scoring 40 off only 24 balls with eight boundaries.
But before long, Sharma and Shubman Gill, the openers, left the field, walking back to the pavilion with their team down 93-2 after 10.3 overs.
At that point, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer established a critical 134-run partnership that enabled the Blues to score runs on the challenging Kolkata surface, which made it challenging for hitters to take on bowlers, particularly spinners, in between innings.
Thanks to their skipper Sharma's quick start, Iyer and Kohli were able to settle down without disrupting the run pace even if the pitch became tricky during the play.
Iyer expedited the innings at the appropriate moment, scoring 77 off 87 balls with nine boundaries, including seven fours and two sixes.
But for a variety of reasons, Kohli was the center of attention. A stunning century was also achieved by the 35-year-old, who was playing on his birthday—101 off 121 runs.
With his 49th ODI century, Kohli matched the record held by the great Sachin Tendulkar.
224.597 SRY