Protea pacers led by Lungi Ngidi produced a ferocious bowling show taking their team to the top in Group 2, dethroning India from # 1 position.
Confident after two consecutive victories, India, in Perth, was beaten by the Proteas on a course that clearly favored the fiery South Africans.
The bowlers of India have tried to make a match from a low scoring match, but Aiden Markram and David Miller made sure the Proteas crossed the line comfortably.
Here’s a look at some of the key moments from India’s first defeat in the current tournament:
1) Rohit wins the draw and beats first – Playing their first match of the tournament on the bustling wicket of Perth’s Optus Stadium, Rohit Sharma won a crucial pitch and surprisingly decided to bat first. With the cold weather and the camp set to help the pacers, Rohit’s decision was a bit of a surprise. However the India captain stated at the draw that it was a good surface and that the team knew what to expect and what to do on the pitch.
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2) Ngidi smashed the highest order – At 4-over, India was 21 without losses and both openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were settling down. But then Lungi Ngidi came in and shocked India completely in the fifth over of the inning, removing both Rohit and Rahul in the same over. Later, he also grabbed Virat Kohli’s big wicket in form as India found themselves teetering at 41 for 3.
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3) India loses half of their team in 9 overs – After the triple hit of Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje got rid of the rookie in the World Cup Deepak Hooda for a duck and Ngidi then rebounded Hardik Pandya while India found themselves faltering at 51 out of five in 9 overs. With the bounce the court offered and the Proteas swiftly pitching with their tails up, India’s batters seemed oblivious to the fiery onslaught of South African rhythm. With half of their team back in the pavilion before 10, it was always difficult for India to recover from there.
4) Surya, the lone warrior – As the wickets continued to fall on the other side, Suryakumar Yadav was the only one standing for his team, scoring 68 points while others had a hard time putting the bat on the ball. The medium, medium-low order and tailenders did absolutely nothing as India climbed to 133 by 9 in their stipulated 20 overs.
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5) Bowling players fail to capitalize on early successes – How South Africa started their chase of 134, the Indian pacers also used the new ball and conditions to perfection, rattling the Proteas in the beginning and reducing them to 24 for 3 within the powerplay with Arshdeep Singh and Muhammad Shami doing the damage. But then Aiden Markram and David Miller created a beautiful 76-run partnership for the fourth wicket and consistently took the game away from India.
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6) The hold that Virat Kohli fell and Rohit’s missed opportunity – In the 12th and 13th finish, India had two chances to get rid of the Aiden Markram set but failed to catch them. While Virat Kohli dropped a dolly deep inside that left bowler Ashwin R Ashwin completely surprised, Rohit in the next over, thrown by Mohammed Shami, lost the easiest of exhausted possibilities by providing Markram with two lifelines.
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7) The Murderer Miller – While India eventually managed to get rid of Aiden Markram for 52, Rohit Sharma and co. had no answer to the clever joke shown by expert David Miller. He first allowed Markram to chase down the bowling players of India after the middle of the course, while playing sensibly himself and then after Markram’s departure he took matters into his own hands, settled down and carried comfortably South Africa crosses the finish line with two spare balls.
(Photo AP)
