Kolkata, Nov 5 (UNI) A top-of-the-table clash at the iconic Eden Gardens here on Sunday as India take on South Africa in a mouth-watering contest at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
India Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first here.
After the toss, Rohit said, “Looks like a good pitch and honestly it’s more to do with what we want to do as a team. I think it’s going to be a good game with two teams at the top of the table. I love playing here and the Indian team loves playing at this historic ground. We’re playing the same team
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said, “Looking at the wicket, we would’ve batted first, but it will be a nice challenge for us to chase. Chasing in an area where we need to get a lot more confidence. One change: Shamsi comes in for Coetzee.”
India are the only undefeated side in the tournament thus far, but will be wary of Temba Bavuma’s men, who have gone from strength to strength since their upset against the Netherlands in Dharamsala.
While the Men in Blue have been rocked by the loss of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami’s form has been a big boost for them. The pacer has picked 14 wickets at a mind-boggling average of 6.71, especially bamboozling the batters under the lights.
South Africa’s only concern, thus far, has been their form while chasing. In their two instances of batting second, they’ve lost a low-scoring encounter to the Dutch, while in the second game they fought a hard-earned win against Pakistan in Chennai.
Playing XIs:
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj.
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi.
