How much of their performance against India at the Eden Gardens on Sunday can South Africa put behind them as they prepare to face Afghanistan in Ahmedabad? The West Bengal capital of Kolkata sits 1,617 kilometers away from Ahmedabad, where Temba Bavuma’s team will take on Afghanistan in their final league match of the men’s World Cup on Friday. But even in India, you need to go much further than that to escape the weight of your past mistakes.
India is a vast country, stretching 2,933 kilometers from east to west and 3,214 kilometers from north to south. The three-hour direct flight that the South African team took to reach Ahmedabad, longer than any flight they could take within their own country, won’t have provided enough distance to erase the memory of their disappointing performance in Kolkata by the time Friday arrives.
Indeed, their lackluster display continues to be a topic of discussion in the media, with Diwali celebrations adding to the cacophony of voices. Even as the Fever FM radio announcer blared out from taxi drivers’ radios in Ahmedabad, the airwaves were filled with praise for Virat Kohli, who had scored an impressive 101 not out to equal Sachin Tendulkar’s world record of 49 ODI centuries. “Virat, congratulations aplenty! Number 20!” echoed through the radio waves. The announcer also highlighted India’s eighth consecutive victory in the tournament, saying, “Eight out of eight victories for India! India victories in line! Quickly click number nine!” This victory was particularly significant as it came against the second-best team in the tournament.
South Africa, denied the opportunity to showcase their batting prowess by batting first, struggled to contain India during the powerplay, conceding 91 runs for just one wicket. Keshav Maharaj’s introduction in the 11th over brought about a change in fortunes. His third ball produced a remarkable delivery that left Shubman Gill in disbelief as it pitched beyond leg, then moved past his outside edge to hit the top of the middle stump. The umpires, Kumar Dharmasena and Paul Reiffel, were also taken aback and referred the decision.
Maharaj maintained tight control, not allowing more than three runs in any of his first five overs. With support from Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Tabraiz Shamsi, they limited the damage in the second 10 overs of the innings to 33 runs. However, the last 10 overs yielded 87 runs, propelling India to a total of 326/5. This target proved to be well out of reach for South Africa, and they were bowled out for a mere 83 runs in 27.1 overs, marking their heaviest defeat in all 667 of their ODIs.
“The boys are hurting because it’s not what we stand for,” commented Maharaj after the match. “But it’s a good eye-opener for us. It’s probably a good thing, a blessing in disguise, to make sure we iron out the glitches in the system. We played four good games on the bounce [to beat England, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand], which is not to make excuses for this performance. But it’s an indication of what we need to do better in this tournament as we build up towards the semifinal.”
South Africa appears to be headed for a semifinal showdown against Australia in Kolkata next Thursday. If that’s how it unfolds, Eden Gardens won’t be filled with fervent Indian fans. Would that make the prospect of a return less daunting? “I don’t think it was intimidating,” Maharaj said of the atmosphere at a ground where Sunday’s game was the first World Cup fixture involving India since the 1996 World Cup semifinal against Sri Lanka was halted due to crowd violence. “You have to embrace it. It’s something that we’re not used to, and that’s even more reason to soak it up.”
South Africa faced criticism for including Shamsi in the lineup, and although he struggled with wayward deliveries, conceding eight runs in wides and no-balls in his return of 1/72, Maharaj defended the selection. “The pitch did turn and was quite slow. So the decision [to include Shamsi] was correct. The execution, at various points, was where we could have been a lot better. We bowled too many bad balls, which gave them too many scoring opportunities and took the game away from us for a period. On the batting front, we showed a lack of intent from the start, and there were a few soft dismissals. We get paid to play cricket, so we’ve got to find a way. It was a good trial run, if we do progress from the semifinal, to identify areas where we can get better.”
If they do make it to the final and face India at Ahmedabad’s massive stadium, which can accommodate almost double the number of spectators as the Eden Gardens, South Africa will face a formidable challenge. “India finds a way to play really well in their conditions,” Maharaj noted. “Everyone knows their gameplan, and they’re executing really well. They do look like a force to be reckoned with.” If they reach the final, India will indeed be a formidable opponent once again. For South Africa, the memory of their defeat at the Eden Gardens will likely linger, no matter how far they travel from Ahmedabad.
