Kolkata: Indian skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat first against South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday.
“We will bat first. Looks like a good pitch, it wasn’t 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 play 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,” said Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma at the toss.
The fight for the top spot is about to unfold as India is set to take on fiery South Africa at the iconic Eden Gardens on Sunday. Even though both teams have qualified for the semi-finals, the Proteas will still be wary of the challenge posed by the Men in Blue.
The Proteas have won six out of their seven matches in the 2023 World Cup, with one loss. On the other hand, the Indian team remains undefeated after seven wins in the tournament.
All eyes will be on the birthday boy and stalwart batsman, Virat Kohli, as fans expect him to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI century record. Kohli currently stands at 48 centuries in ODIs and needs just one more to equal the record of the cricketing icon.
The formidable Indian pace attack, displaying sheer dominance with the ball, orchestrated a stunning 302-run triumph against Sri Lanka and followed it up by successfully defending a target of 229 against England. With the upcoming match, the Indian bowlers will look to amplify their impact in the tournament.
The South African cricket team has been on a remarkable run, consistently delivering strong performances. The spotlight will undoubtedly be on Quinton de Kock, whose outstanding form in the tournament has seen him notch four centuries, leaving him just one away from equaling the record for the most ODI World Cup hundreds in a calendar year.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
South Africa (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi