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Do you try to take advantage of your opponent’s
weakness or support your own strength? That is the question that will be on the
minds of Rohit Sharma and Temba Bavuma when India plays South Africa in a
top-of-the-table match on Sunday at Eden Gardens.
South Africa like batting first. Their best order
always creates the groundwork for the middle to perform well. In this World
Cup, they have amassed 428, 311, 399, 382 and 357 runs when batting first. They
prevailed by a margin of more than 100 runs each time. However, they were
defeated by the Netherlands and barely defeated Pakistan by one wicket when
chasing.
It’s the opposite for India. In order to pace their
innings appropriately, they would rather have a target in front of them. When
kids bat first, they might not know how hard to hit. Thus, the difficult
decision will have to be made by whoever wins the toss on Sunday.
India’s five-bowler plan will also face its toughest
test to date in this game. South Africa will likely try to exploit India’s lack
of a sixth bowling option in their starting XI due to the absence of Hardik
Pandya, who is now officially out of the World Cup, according to Bavuma.
Pakistan’s win over New Zealand on Saturday means
South Africa have joined India in the semi-finals. With India and South Africa
well-placed to retain the top-two positions by the end of the league stage,
this could very well be a dress rehearsal for the final, though they have to
get there first.
Mohammed Shami was left out of India’s World Cup
starting lineup. It wasn’t until Hardik was hurt that he had his chance.
Nevertheless, he is among the tournament’s top wicket-takers despite having
only played three games. He scored five runs in his opening match against New
Zealand, four against England, and five more against Sri Lanka. He would have
probably opened the bowling for any other team, but for India, he comes in
after Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. His ability to still have such a significant
impact is evidence of his skill.
It’s Quinton de Kock’s ideal World Cup. At this point,
he leads in both century-making (four) and run-scoring (545). While he could be
slow to start, his overall strike rate of 112.60 is far above average. India is
probably one of his favourite rivals. He has six hundreds in 19 ODIs against
them, three of which came in back-to-back innings early in his career. Bavuma’s
poor form makes de Kock’s job the more crucial in laying the groundwork for the
middle order to commence.