It took something more than special of a delivery to dismiss the set Shubman Gill at Eden Gardens in Kolkata as South Africa spinner bowled one of the sweetest deliveries of the 2023 World Cup so far. Gill along with Virat Kohli on the other end and the umpires as well were stunned by Maharaj’s bowling against India. After pitching on the middle-leg stump, the ball turned square and knocked the bails off the off stump. India waited for the replays to verify that the ball actually struck the wickets and that Quinton de Kock’s glove did not remove the bails, demonstrating how unexpected the situation was.
Watch the video here:
unplayable delivery by keshav maharaj to subhman gill #INDvsSA pic.twitter.com/a4A8DZx5eY
Bi2 (@realbii2) November 5, 2023
Rohit Sharma-led India won the toss and decided to bat first against Temba Bavuma’s South Africa in the 37th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. (Cricket World Cup 2023: How Can India Meet Pakistan Again In Semi-Finals? Check Here)
The ‘Men in Blue’ stand in the top place of the ODI World Cup 2023 standings with 14 points after winning all seven of their previous matches. On the other hand, the Proteas hold second place with 12 points after losing just one of their previous seven games. Both sides are in top form and will be eyeing the top spot on the points table. However, both India and South Africa have confirmed their spots in the semis of the prestigious tournament.
Speaking at the toss, Rohit Sharma said that they had decided to bat first since they wanted to challenge themselves and had nothing to do with the pitch.
“We will bat first. Looks like a good pitch, it had nothing to do with the pitch, we wanted to challenge ourselves. It’ll be a good game, two teams who have played consistent cricket and have topped the table, will be nice to win and go on top. I love to play over here, not just me, the entire team looks forward to playing at this historic ground. We’re playing the same team, don’t think we need to change anything with the way we’ve been playing,” Rohit said.
On the other hand, Temba Bavuma said that they would have batted first, but now they need to chase. The Proteas skipper confirmed that Tabraiz Shamsi will replace Gerald Coetzee in the first eleven.
“We would have batted first, but now we need to chase, which will be a nice challenge. We know that’s one area where we need to gain more confidence, we’ll have to bat with responsibility. We have been putting on good consistent performances, and we’ll look to improve going forward. One change – Shamsi comes in place of Gerald Coetzee,” Bavuma said.