Like a final before the final

It’s conceivable that India and South Africa will meet again in the final, so whoever wins today’s match at Eden Gardens will not only have bragging rights but also momentum

Heading into the final fortnight of the tournament, it’s clear that World Cup favourites and front-runners India are in impressive form, with seven consecutive wins, and South Africa are also in formidable form, with six wins from seven games. 

Sunday will witness the clash of the titans in one of the best match-ups of the tournament. Both will want to assert their authority and brand of cricket on the other. It’s conceivable that they will meet again in the final, so whoever wins this match will not only have the bragging rights but also momentum. 

One-on-one battles

Both have strong batting and bowling line-ups and the one-on-one battles will be intriguing to watch. Mohammed Shami has bowled magnificently (14 wickets in three games) and Jasprit Bumrah (15) has been excellent with his skill of swinging the ball both ways and seaming it. The duo bowling to Quinton de Kock, the leading run-scorer (545 runs with four hundreds), will be a great spectacle. 

Whoever wins that battle could influence the outcome of the contest.

The form of Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram and the power-hitting David Miller pitted against India’s batters such as Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul provide fascinating subtexts. There are just so many batting match-winners in both ranks.

I’ve been hugely impressed with the bowling of Marco Jansen, the tall, fluid and rhythmical left-arm paceman who has picked up 16 wickets. With his deceptive pace, swing and bounce, he is the backbone of the South African pace attack which, with Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee, can do a fair bit of damage. 

Also read: Pace trio of Shami, Siraj, Bumrah firing on all cylinders

India have not been under much pressure throughout the tournament. They have registered relatively comfortable and convincing wins though they have only one score in excess of 300. South Africa, on the other hand, have topped 300 five times, including scores of 428 and 399. With two quality teams and world-class players going head-to-head, we should see a close game.

More close games needed

Only two World Cup games in this edition have been played previously at the Eden Gardens and it’s clear that runs have been scarce. The results were still very convincing, with both Netherlands and Pakistan defeating Bangladesh. Fast bowlers from all sides prospered, which is why the pacers of the two teams against imposing batting line-ups will be a sight to see.

One of the disappointing features of this tournament is the lack of close finishes. Most of the matches have been one-sided and thrown up early finishes. The two best games were New Zealand against Australia, which the latter won off the last ball by five runs, and South Africa versus Pakistan, the former winning by one wicket. All the other contests have been almost foregone conclusions. I hope that changes towards the business end.

Chivach Sports

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