South Africa take on hosts India at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata for match no. 37 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday, November 5. This will be one of the most highly anticipated matches of the tournament, considering the terrific run of form displayed by both teams, who currently are fighting it out for the top spot. A victory here could determine which team takes the top spot and both teams will not want to take this for granted.
India confirmed their place in the semi-final after a crushing win against Sri Lanka in their previous match. In what turned out to be the second-biggest win in the history of this tournament, India won by a whopping 302 runs. Batting first, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer's fifties drove the side to 357/9 in 50 overs.
In response, Sri Lanka got bundled out for only 55 runs courtesy of a majestic new ball spell from Mohammed Siraj (3/16) and a five-fer from Mohammad Shami (5/18). India now have seven wins in seven matches and are on top of the points table.
South Africa, on the other hand, put up a comprehensive all-round performance against New Zealand in their last match. Quinton de Kock's fourth century of the tournament, coupled with Rassie van der Dussen's ton, took the Proteas to 357/4 in 50 overs on a challenging batting track. The Kiwis, in return, were taken apart for 167 runs as South Africa won by 190 runs.
South Africa's only defeat in the tournament came against the Netherlands. With seven wins out of eight matches, they have been in stellar form and have the best net run rate in the tournament currently (+2.290).
1. Virat Kohli vs Marco Jansen
Although Virat Kohli and Marco Jansen never faced each other in ODIs, the duo had a couple of memorable one-on-ones in the IPL. Marco Jansen is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament for South Africa with 16 wickets. He has picked up at least two wickets every match.
Kohli, on the other hand, has five 50+ scores so far, which includes a century against Bangladesh and three 80+ scores against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
2. Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada
Rohit Sharma has been in stellar form in the ongoing World Cup, scoring 402 runs in seven matches at an average of 57.42 and a strike-rate of 119.64. Rabada, on the other hand, has picked up 11 wickets and is making crucial contributions to the side.
Both these players have come up against each other in 11 ODIs before and Rabada got Rohit's wicket four times. The Indian skipper too has a decent record, scoring 131 off 158 balls he faced off Rabada.
3. Shubman Gill vs Gerald Koetzee
Shubman Gill, the leading run-scorer in ODIs and international this year, was off to a slow start in the World Cup owing to health concerns. However, he looked at his best against Sri Lanka, scoring a valiant 92 off 92 balls at the Wankhede Stadium. He currently has 192 runs in five knocks at a strike-rate of 97.02.
His tussle against Gerald Coetzee, South Africa's second-highest wicket-taker, will be one to watch out for. Coetzee has scalped 14 wickets so far in only six matches, with a strike-rate under 20.
4. Quinton de Kock vs Jasprit Bumrah
Quinton de Kock is the leading run-scorer of the ongoing ICC World Cup, scoring a whopping 545 runs, including four centuries. The left-handed batter who is set to retire from ODI cricket after this tournament is in the form of his life, one century short of Rohit Sharma's record of five centuries in one edition.
Jasprit Bumrah, India's leading wicket-taker with 15 scalps, bowled to De Kock in seven innings. He conceded only 65 runs off 109 balls against the South African, also dismissing him twice in the process.
5. Kuldeep Yadav vs Heinrich Klaasen
Heinrich Klaasen is one of the finest white ball strikers in the world right now. The hard-hitting Proteas batter has scored 315 runs at a strike-rate of 151.44, which includes one century and one half-century. His hitting prowess especially against spinners has been a major talking point.
Kuldeep Yadav, however, is in great form as well, picking up 10 wickets at an economy of 4.40. Both these players have an even head-to-head record. In seven innings, Klaasen scored 77 runs off 62 balls against Kuldeep, and the left-arm spinner picked his wicket on two occasions.
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