India invite Proteas to bat in crunch game

Adjust Comment Print

Sri Lanka also started off with a loss, against South Africa, but stunned India by seven wickets at The Oval in London to throw the group open.

Nearly two years have passed since the last game between these sides. It left them in a crisis against Pakistan, and vulnerable against Sri Lanka. As mentioned in the preview, this will be a virtual quarter-final for both the teams.

Coming to South Africa, they were outplayed by Pakistan in their last match, and they will be sure to make amends.

In-form Miller was involved in a disgusting mix-up with Du Plessis to end up at the same end as South Africa slumped to 142 for 4 from 140 for 2 in a space of six deliveries. History aside, this game gives them an opportunity to justify the potential and the depth the side has and progress to the semifinal. South Africa have a "chokers" tag in global tournaments and will be desperate to build on the form that has seen them become the number one ranked side in the world.

Is 322 a good-enough target though? It was one of the factors that possibly cost India the game against Sri Lanka with relatively new faces taking the attack to the much-fancied Indian bowlers.

South Africa's one-day skipper de Villiers was next to the crease, having overcome a hamstring scare to take his place in the side.

Qatar tells Gulf residents they are free to stay
Lavrov said unity on the matter must be forged in the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council and among nations. On Friday, Tillerson urged Qatar's neighbors to ease their blockade and called for "calm and thoughtful dialogue".

"As a cricketer honestly for me personally, I crave games like this", Kohli said on Saturday. His was the innings that turned what looked like a competitive total into a match-winning one against Pakistan. There wasn't anything wrong with how India approached the Lankan chase.

Virat Kohli will be quite keen to rope in Ravichandran Ashwin in the playing eleven.

Monday's match in Cardiff has the look of a "dead rubber" about it after Pakistan suffered a 124-run thrashing by arch-rivals and Champions Trophy title-holders India in their opening Group B match. We have had success in this tournament here batting first against Sri Lanka.

Right, now to #INDvSA.

For South Africa, Ignore ghosts of failed past. "You can have any sort of combination possible for us starting tomorrow", said Kohli in the pre-match press conference. Rohit Sharma, 3. Virat Kohli (captain), 4. South Africa really works hard for this game.

Pakistan do have some recent knowledge of the ground beaten England there by four wickets in a one-day global previous year. In 2015 World Cup he also scored a hundred against South Africa. They are back at it again, in 2017 now, belying poor form and injury in the months gone past. Skipper AB de Villiers, who had been in the midst of awful form this series, came out looking a lot more assured than he had in the matches vs Sri Lanka and Pakistan. India need him to do well. Incidentally, both men scampered through to the same end but du Plessis dragged his bat inside the crease seconds before his partner.

Comments