How much of their performance in Kolkata versus India on Sunday at the Eden Gardens could South Africa have ignored? The city of West Bengal is located 1,617 kilometers from Ahmedabad, the site of Temba Bavuma’s team’s final league match of the men’s World Cup, which is on Friday against Afghanistan. You have to go farther than that in India to overcome your obstacles.
This country is 2,933 kilometers long from east to west. approximately 3,214 kilometers in a north-south direction. The South Africans’ three-hour direct journey to Ahmedabad—longer than any they could have taken at home—won’t have separated them enough from their dreadful performance in Kolkata for it to be forgotten by Friday.
In fact, their lackluster performance provides fodder for the media’s current Diwali treats, which include Ahmedabad taxi drivers listening to Fever FM’s Great Indian Tambola loud and clear. The announcer on Tuesday’s midday show was booming out lines in a way that even Ravi Shastri would have liked.
A salutation to Virat Kohli for reaching 101 runs without out to tie Sachin Tendulkar’s global record of 49 ODI century was given to both voluntary and non-voluntary listeners: “Virat, congratulations aplenty! 20th number!” An additional reference to the broader picture was made: “India has won eight times out of eight! India wins in the queue! Click number nine quickly!” Eighth victory was even more meaningful because it came against the tournament’s second-best team.
In India’s powerplay, South Africa gave up 91 runs for the pitiful return of a single wicket, denying them the chance to show off their shown strength—batting first. Things changed with the entrance of Keshav Maharaj in the eleventh. With his third ball, he delivered a ripper that was so terrific. It drifted beyond leg, pitched, and then zipped past Shubman Gill’s outside edge to strike the top of center, leaving him stunned. It appeared that Paul Reiffel and Kumar Dharmasena were unable to acknowledge what had transpired: they were referred.
Maharaj did not allow more than three runs to be scored in any of his opening five overs. With the assistance of Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Tabraiz Shamsi, he limited the damage to 33 runs in the second ten overs of the innings. The total for the next 20 overs was 115, not perfect but clean.
India reached 326/5 after only 87 came off the final 10, far beyond the reach of South Africa in the face of India’s formidable attack. They suffered their worst loss in all 667 of their One-Day Internationals when they slumped to 83 all out in 27.1 overs.
“It’s not what we stand for, which is why the boys are hurting,” Maharaj stated following Sunday’s game. However, it’s enlightening for us. As long as we work to fix the system’s bugs, it’s probably a positive thing—a blessing in disguise.
“To win England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand, we played four excellent games in a row. This is not to justify our poor performance. However, it serves as a guide for what we still need to improve on as we advance to the semifinals of this competition.”
It appears that South Africa will play Australia in the semifinals in Kolkata on Thursday. Fans of India will not be crammed into Eden Gardens if that is the way things work out. Would that lessen the terrifying possibility of a return? “I don’t think it was intimidating,” Maharaj remarked about the environment at the stadium where India played its first World Cup match since the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal matchup with Sri Lanka was called off due to mob violence. “You must accept it. We should take extra time to get acquainted with it because it’s something we’re not used to.”
Shamsi, who didn’t help his own situation by straying down leg too frequently and giving up eight runs in wides and no-balls in his return of 1/72, was criticized by South Africa for being chosen. In the 24 One-Day Internationals that he has bowled all 10 of his overs in, he has not been more expensive. Maharaj countered that selection was not the problem, saying, “The pitch turned and was rather slow. Thus, it was the right decision to include Shamsi. There were several instances in the execution where we could have performed far better.
“We gave them too many scoring opportunities and lost the game for a while because we bowled too many bad balls. We batted with a lack of purpose right from the beginning, and there were a couple soft dismissals. We have to figure out a way since we get paid to play cricket.
“It was a good trial run, if we do progress from the semifinal, to identify areas where we can get better.”
What happens if they get to the final and, gulp, India defeats them in Ahmedabad at the enormous venue that can hold, gulp, nearly twice as many spectators as the Eden Gardens? “India find a way to play really well in their conditions,” Maharaj stated. “They’re playing incredibly well, and everyone is aware of their strategy. They certainly appear to be a formidable force.”
They do, and if they make it to the final, they will once more. As they should, ominously for South Africa. They can abandon the loss at Eden Gardens, but good luck getting rid of any mementos from that gloomy day or night in the dressing room. Regardless of the distance from Ahmedabad.
