KOLKATA – Virat Kohli scored his document 49th ODI century earlier than Ravindra Jadeja’s five-fer lifted India handy a 243-run thrashing to South Africa within the top-of-the-table ICC World Cup 2023 conflict.
Set to chase a frightening 327, the sturdy South Africa batting lineup unfolded within the 28th over and will rating a meagre 83 runs in response. All-rounder Marco Jansen remained the top-scorer for South Africa amid their dismal present with the bat with a cautious 14-run knock.
Apart from him, solely Rassie van der Dussen (13), David Miller and Temba Bavuma, 11 every, have been the opposite batters to get into the double digits. Ravindra Jadeja led the bowling assault for India with 5/33, adopted by Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Shami, who bagged two wickets every. Kohli on his 35th birthday remained unbeaten on 101, equalling Sachin Tendulkar’s document for many ODI centuries – 49.
After profitable the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma helped India race to 61 runs in 5 overs, scoring a blistering 40 off 22, nonetheless, he bought out two balls later courtesy of a terrific catch by his South African counterpart Temba Bavuma. Rohit Sharma’s knock featured six boundaries and two sixes.
His opening associate quickly followed him again to the pavilion after scoring 23 off 24 as he was undone by Keshav Maharaj to disturb his stumps. Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer then joined arms and knitted a 134-run stand for the third wicket to take India’s whole to 227.
Each batters reached their half-centuries earlier than Lungi Ngidi broke the partnership with an off-cutter outdoors off-stump, which was ballooned up by Iyer and landed safely within the arms of Aiden Markram. Iyer scored a gutsy 77 from 87 balls with the assistance of seven certainaries and two sixes.
Kohli was then concerned in two temporary partnerships with Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja, scoring 36 and an unbeaten 41 respectively to push India’s whole to 326-5. Yadav scored 22 off 14, whereas Jadeja scored 29* off 15. Virat Kohli, on the opposite finish, took 121 balls for his anchoring but record-breaking 101, that includes 10 boundaries.
In the meantime, Marco Jansen, Tabraiz Shamsi, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, and Kagiso Rabada all shared one wicket every. Maharaj nonetheless was probably the most economical, giving freely solely 30 runs from his 10 overs.