In the 37th match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, the two-time World Cup winner, India will take on South Africa, tomorrow, November 5, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata at 2 PM IST.
India face possibly their biggest challenge yet in the World Cup, as it will be a clash of table-toppers. While the Men in Blue are qualified for the semi-finals, by winning seven out of seven games, they will still aim to finish first in the points tally, and a loss against the Proteas can tamper with that target. Everyone in the team is happy, confident, and eager to show more skills. In the preview of the last game against Sri Lanka, we mentioned how the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill need to stretch their innings. Well, that has been done too. Even in the bowling department, Mohammed Siraj seems back in form, as he grabbed three wickets in Mumbai, while Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are already in top gear. One of the things India would like to have at the Eden Gardens is Suryakumar Yadav‘s 360° knock, which fans have been wanting throughout the World Cup. Along with this, Virat Kohli‘s 49th century on his birthday will be another icing on the cake.
On the other hand, the Temba Bavuma-led side has shown pretty solid performances in India, as they have clinched six wins out of seven games. The only loss they had to face was against the Netherlands. Right from Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks to Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen, everyone has been in top form with the bat. SA would still want some good shows from the likes of Heinrich Klassen and David Miller. Along with them, skipper Bavuma has also not played any impressive knocks yet and thus will look to grab the perfect opportunity against the two-time World Cup winners and score some big runs. With the ball too, Gerald Coetzee, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada have been quite good, and once again, on the wicket of Eden Gardens, they will aim to give their maximum.
Head-to-Head:
In the history of the ODI format, India and South Africa have played 90 matches against each other. India won 37, while Proteas prevailed in 50 instances. Three matches also finished without a result.
In the 50-over World Cup, both played each other five times. Of these matches, the Men in Blue have prevailed in just two, and SA bagged wins three times
Where to watch:
TV: Star Sports
OTT: Disney+ Hotstar