South Africa Produced Errors and India Dominance

Going into this match, everyone knowledgeable would have said that India had a 70% chance of winning, while South Africa had a 30% chance. This proved to be true, as India dominated the match from start to finish. For South Africa, it should be more than a lesson. They should rectify their mistakes, fix all the errors they made in this match, and prepare themselves more convincingly for the semifinals.

South Africa’s Batting Struggles

South Africa batted disastrously against India, particularly against the spinners. The pitch was not easy at all, but as a team, they should have gone with more commitment and cautiousness. Their struggle against the spinners came out clearly as a few of them were almost bamboozled by Ravindra Jadeja, who picked up his first fifer in World Cup 2023.

India’s Intimidating Bowling Attack

India has an intimidating bowling attack and Michael Vaughan rightly said on twitter, “So if Bumrah doesn’t get you Siraj will .. If Siraj doesn’t get you Shami will .. If Shami doesn’t get you Jadeja will & If Jadeja doesn’t get you Kuldeep will.” Sums how difficult it is go past this bowling attack.

To go past India’s bowling attack unscathed is a rare possibility. A team has to bat well beyond expectations to put them under pressure. South Africa will definitely need to mind their shot selections and timing. It looked like they didn’t have a solid plan to chase down India’s total, and were just hoping to get along the line.

Learning from Mistakes

For South Africa, it wasn’t going to be easy like it wasn’t easy for other teams. It would have been better if they learned from the mistakes of others and came up with an improved game plan. Being too defensive against Indian bowlers might not work because they are so committed to their strength, if you allow Shami, Siraj or Bumrah to bowl wherever they want, in the end, they will get you out.

The learning curve for South Africa here will definitely benefit them in the semifinals, but they can’t be too negative about the loss. If they don’t accept it, they might struggle later on at the business end of the tournament. What’s more important is not to go back into their shell. A loss is always going to hurt, but it becomes a lesson as soon as you accept it and focus on building what lacked previously.

South Africa’s Need for Partnerships

South Africa will need to play 15 overs of spinners at least in the second powerplay for the rest of their games. They have to find a plan accordingly to negate the threat, and nothing is better than partnerships with intent. They have all the batting strength to turn things around in the last 15 overs, as they have done throughout the tournament.

South Africa’s Defensive Bowling

From a bowling perspective, the assumption isn’t wrong that South Africa bowled defensively. Particularly, Tabraiz Shamsi couldn’t find the correct line and length, and as a result, struggled on a pitch which perfectly suited his bowling style. It appeared that he was overwhelmed by the dominant presence of Indian batters.

Rohit Sharma’s Impact

Once India had scored 91 in the first 10 overs, it was all on South Africa to play catch-up, working on not leaking runs rather than going for wickets. Barring the last over, they did a good job from the 40th to the 49th over. But the real damage was done in the first 10 overs by Rohit Sharma.

The Importance of a Strong Start

In a big match, you can’t set a wrong foot. No team wants to play catch-up game the entire day after being put under pressure right in the beginning. From what happened in the first 10 overs of the match, India got hold of South Africa mentally, and it was clearly visible in their body language. Even after the end of the first innings, there were faces of disappointment among South African players, as if the game was done and dusted by then.