CT 2017: Match 11, IND vs SA – 5 Game Changing Moments

The stage was set for the first virtual quarter final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. Team India locked horns with South Africa in the big clash. Coming into the game, both teams had shock defeats at the hands of their oppositions from the previous game. The Proteas had succumbed to Pakistan in a rain-curtailed fixture. On the other hand, team India were stunned by Sri Lanka in their previous game.

Hence, both teams had to get back to form in this game. Also, at the same time, they needed to ensure that they emerge as the victorious side. Indian skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to bowl first. Albeit the South African openers added 76 runs for the opening stand, they did not bother the Indians much with the run flow.

Indian bowlers shared wickets among themselves to bundle out the Proteas camp for a mere 191 in 44.3 overs. In the run chase, India lost Rohit Sharma cheaply. Some fine batting from Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan ensured India emerged victorious on the day to make it to the semi finals.

Here we look at the 5 Game Changing moments from the IND v SA encounter:

1. Proteas openers getting into a shell

Indian skipper Kohli had asked the opposition to bat first in the match. In walked Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla to open the innings for the Proteas. Quinton had a quiet tournament prior to this game and Amla had been amongst the runs. Amla was in fine form with a century to his name in the tournament already.

On a bright sunny day, both openers were expected to call the shots but it was not to be. Indian new ball bowlers – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah – bowled tight lines to keep the opposition openers quiet. This  was evident from the fact that they could only muster 35 runs in the first ten overs.

The scoreboard pressure crept up and Amla walked back to the pavilion after having a 76 run opening stand. Those runs came in 105 deliveries. Amla scored 35 off 54 balls with a strike rate of under 65. De Kock mustered 53 off 72 balls with a strike rate of mere 73.61 before getting out.

2. Exceptional field work by India – Run outs in succession

Perhaps the big moment arrived in the game when the Indians got rid of AB de Villiers. The scoreboard pressure was high when AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis were at the crease. The Protea skipper started off on a very positive note and looked in good touch on the day. However, he had to walk back to the pavilion on just 16 after being run out by a combined effort of MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.

Soon, another miscommunication resulted in David Miller being run out on 1. The credit has to go to the Indian fielders. Apart from that, there were some exceptional moments of brilliance in the field by agile fielders like Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.

3. Indian bowlers sharing wickets – Ashwin’s inclusion

It was a thorough team effort from team India that saw the opposition bundling out for a mere 191. Earlier in the game, the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin was being speculated. It happened for sure but the expense at which it came surprised a few. In-form bowler Umesh Yadav had to make way for him.

However, Ashwin justified his selection by bowling well on the day. He provided the first breakthrough on the day when he got Hashim Amla out in the 18th over. Soon, he was joined by Ravindra Jadeja in the wickets column when he got rid of the other opener.

Later, Hardik Pandya managed to dismantle the woodwork of Faf du Plessis. It was then followed by two wickets each for Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The premier pacers wrapped up the tail and made very little work of the South African batting.

4. India lose Rohit early – Proteas new ball bowlers make the ball do the talking

The run chase of 191 was never going to be a daunting task for the formidable Indian batting lineup. However, the new ball bowlers of South Africa made it quite tough for the Indian side in the first few overs. Kagiso Rabada started off with a maiden in the very first over of the innings. Morne Morkel, in the next over, gave only 2 runs. Some runs flew in the next couple of overs but the Proteas bowlers got back in the hunt.

There was a phase in the first powerplay when only 1 run came off 23 deliveries in succession. In those 23 deliveries, India also lost the wicket of Rohit Sharma on 12. Morne Morkel was the beneficiary. By the end of the first 10 overs, India only had 37 runs on the board. However, what followed was absolute carnage from the Indian batsmen.

5. Kohli- Dhawan set up India’s superlative win

When the Indian team lost the first wicket in the 6th over of the run chase, many started to speculate that the surface at the venue might not be very fruitful to bat on. Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan took their time to settle in.

Kohli, at one stage, batted on 3 that came off 16 deliveries. Soon, Kohli stepped down the ground to Andile Phehlukwayo to break loose. After that, there was no turning back. Dhawan and Kohli marched to their individual fifties and posted a century stand. Dhawan looked set for a ton too.

However, the partnership was eventually broken in the 31st over after the two batsmen had added 128 runs for the second wicket. Needless to say, they had already helped India breach 150-run mark to set up the Indian win. Dhawan scored 78 off 83 deliveries with 12 fours and a six. Kohli, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten 76 off 101 deliveries.