Team India took on the mighty Proteas in a top of the table clash at the historic Eden Gardens. A game where the two best sides of the tournament tussled for a spot at the top of the table. This battle was one for the superiority as both the teams looked to establish their dominance.
Skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and put the Proteas into chase, knowing their struggles while chasing. India flew off to a rampant start as Rohit & Gill took full toll of the powerplay, scoring quick-fire runs. However, the Proteas came back strong as India lost both their openers in quick succession. Kohli & Iyer steadied the ship, but run-scoring got tougher due to the slowness of the pitch. Both the batters weathered the storm and played excellent percentage cricket. Virat Kohli celebrated his birthday with yet another ton, leveling the little master Sachin Tendulkar in the number of ODI tons. Iyer, Kohli & a cameo from Jadeja at the end ensured India reached to a total of 326, which was believed to be mammoth, considering the difficulty to bat on the pitch.
Indian pacers picked up where they left off in Mumbai as Siraj and Shami ripped through the SA top order. Post that it was the Ravindra Jadeja show as he broke the back of the Protea batting order. He went on to pick up a fifer as he dominated the batters with his immaculate accuracy. SA weren’t able to inflict any counterattack as they got rolled over for just 83, handing India a massive 243-run victory. Team India dominated the team which was looked at as their toughest challenge so far in the tournament, establishing their superiority and claiming the top spot in the table.
