In previous World Cups, the prospect of facing a high-riding home side in front of one of cricket’s most raucous crowds would have made South Africans wonder what their team had done to deserve such a fate. This time, no.
Yes, India will be the opponent at Eden Gardens on Sunday (November 5). Yes, they are unbeaten and exude strength and confidence in every aspect. Yes, they are the most fervently supported team in the game, if not all of sport. No, this does not imply that South Africa is afraid, concerned, or concerned about the upcoming competition.
“What we have done really well in this campaign is focus on what we want to do and how we want to play it,” Rassie van der Dussen said in Pune on Wednesday, following South Africa’s 190-run victory over New Zealand. “We continually review the numbers with the coaches during our match review meetings, and based on most metrics thus far in the tournament, we are doing rather well.
So it doesn’t matter who is in front of you. We know that if we play the way we want to play, execute the way we want to execute, and take the right options, especially under pressure, the result will be a byproduct.”
Van der Dussen scored 133, Quinton de Kock hit 114, and they shared 200 for the second wicket to put South Africa, who were put into bat, on pace for 357/4. The Kiwis were subsequently bowled for 167 in 35.3 overs, with Marco Jansen taking 3/31 and Keshav Maharaj taking 4/46.
Live Cricket Score has learned that South Africa has won five of its six matches batting first, each by more than 100 runs. Their greatest triumph came on October 21, when they defeated England by 229 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
