Yuzvendra Chahal’s four-wicket haul and Rohit Sharma’s ton were enough to see off South Africa in Southampton. This defeat leaves South Africa winless in their first three games of this year’s World Cup.
Team India finally kickstarted their World Cup campaign after a long wait. Virat Kohli opted for a squad with Mohammad Shami, Dinesh Karthik, Vijay Shankar, and Ravindra Jadeja left out. Faf Du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first after their initial two failed outings through chasing against England and Bangladesh.
The ploy to bat first failed miserably for the Proteas as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah operated with the utmost accuracy with the new ball. Bumrah managed to send both the openers back to the pavilion while Bhuvneshwar kept things tight.
After the initial display by the pacers, it was time for Chahal to turn up, the leg spinner who boasts an excellent record against the Proteas, knocked the middle order away with a four-wicket haul. While the Indian bowling attack looked to dismiss the opposition for under a total of 200, Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada had other plans, the duo stitched a crucial stand for the 8th wicket that steered the side to 227-9 at the end of 50 overs.
Chasing a tricky total, Kagiso Rabada went all out and put the openers out there in extreme discomfort. The effort eventually paid after the dismissal of Dhawan. Sharma, despite his early struggles, got settled in and got on to notch up his second World Cup century. Virat Kohli had an uneventful outing while MS Dhoni and KL Rahul dug in with valuable contributions.
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