The fight for the top spot is about to unfold as India gears up to defend their position against hard-hitting South Africa in the ongoing World Cup at the iconic Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Even though both teams have qualified for the semi-finals, the Proteas will still be weary of the challenge posed by the Men in Blue, a team that sent New Zealand’s exceptional start to the tournament spiralling down.
A combined effort from the bat, ball and field has contributed to their success and guided them to a seven-match unbeaten run.
Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have led the attack from the front, while the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav have provided stability in the middle overs and picked up wickets to restrict the opposition from gaining momentum.
In terms of batting, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Vitat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer have recently played some eye-catching knocks to showcase their batting depth.
Even though the Indian team will miss the services of all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the rest of the tournament, Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid will hope that they continue to perform in a similar fashion as they have in the past three games without the 30-year-old all-rounder.
On the other hand, free-flying South Africa’s batting order has dwarfed the best bowling set-ups that have crossed their paths. Their dominance with the bat is indicated by their record of scoring the most number of sixes in the ongoing World Cup with 82.
Quinton de Kock’s consistency in the opening order has played a major role in their high-scoring performances. The left-handed batter leads the chart of run scorers with 545 runs to his name in 7 innings with a batting average of 77.85.
The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen make up a strong pace bowling line-up. But the likes of Tabriz Shamsi Keshav Maharaj make up a strong spin arsenal for the Proteas.
This clash will challenge both teams in all aspects and promises to be a spectacle for all the spectators.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Prasidh Krishna, Suryakumar Yadav.
South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Gerald Coetzee, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Lizaad Williams. (ANI)
