WC: India slam 326/5 against SA; Kohli slams 49th ton
India racked up 326/5 against South Africa in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Skipper Rohit Sharma bolstered the innings with a quickfire 40(24), while Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer added a century stand. Kohli smashed his 49th ODI ton, now the joint-most with Sachin Tendulkar. Suryakumar Yadav (22) and Ravindra Jadeja (29*) helped India get past 300.
Another positive start from Rohit and Gill
Rohit made his intentions clear straightaway as he went after the bowlers from the outset. He smashed the likes of Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen en route to his fiery 40. A mistimed shot meant the opener eventually fell to Kagiso Rabada. Shubman Gill smashed a 24-ball 23, with India were 91/1 in 10 overs after electing to bat.
Joint-most ODI sixes in a year
Hitman Rohit has now completed 58 ODI maximums in 2023. South Africa's AB De Villiers also smoked as many maximums in 2015. While the Proteas star featured in 18 ODI innings that year, Rohit has played 23 ODI innings in 2023. Meanwhile, West Indies's Chris Gayle (56 in 2019) is the only other batter with 50-plus ODI sixes in a calendar year.
Kohli slams a composed ton
Kohli arrived after India lost Rohit. The former took India past 200 along with Iyer. Kohli paced his knock brilliantly and continued in this fashion even after losing Iyer. He completed his century off 119 balls in the 49th over. The former returned unbeaten on 101 off 121 balls, a knock laced with 10 fours. It was his 49th century in ODI cricket.
Joint-most centuries in ODIs
Before this match, Tendulkar was the only player to reach 49 centuries in ODI cricket. He touched this mark on March 16, 2012, as India took on Bangladesh in the Asia Cup. Kohli, who had just 10 ODI tons back then, has come a long way. Notably, Kohli and Tendulkar are the only players with over 40 tons in the format.
Second Indian with 6,000 ODI runs at home
During his knock, Kohli also completed 6,000 runs in ODI cricket at home. He is only the second player to achieve this feat after Tendulkar, who owns 6,976 runs in this regard. Kohli smashed his 23rd ODI ton at home, already the most in home conditions. He is the only player with more than 20 ODI tons at home venues.
Iyer plays a quality knock
Iyer came to the crease when India were 93/2 in 10.3 overs. The middle-order batter took his time before playing the spinners with ease. He also didn't shy away from playing the big shots. Iyer added 134 runs along with Kohli to take India beyond the 220-run mark. Ngidi dismissed Iyer in the 37th over as the latter tried attacking.
The highest partnership against SA in WC 2023
Kohli and Iyer added 134 runs for the third wicket after Gill and Rohit departed. They now have the highest partnership against South Africa in the ongoing World Cup. The previous-highest partnership against SA was 84 by Pakistan's Saud Shakeel and Shadab Khan in Chennai.
Ngidi has dismissed Iyer five times in ODIs
Ngidi has had the upper hand over Iyer in ODI cricket. As per ESPNcricinfo, the SA speedster has now claimed Iyer's wicket five times in six meetings while conceding 36 runs in 38 balls at a strike rate of 94.73. Notably, Iyer averages a paltry 7.20 versus Ngidi, who is the most successful bowler versus the former. Australia's Adam Zampa is next (three dismissals).
SKY, Jadeja play crucial cameos
India lost Iyer and KL Rahul in quick succession after India crossed 220. Suryakumar then joined Kohli and attacked the Proteas bowlers from the outset. He smashed 5 fours in his 14-ball 22. Jadeja played a similar cameo after SKY's departure. He slammed an unbeaten 29(15), having hammered 3 fours and 1 six. Jadeja attacked from one end, allowing Kohli to reach his ton.
Other notable records scripted by Kohli
Kohli slammed his 119th fifty-plus score in ODI cricket, now the second-most after Tendulkar (145). Kohli broke a tie with Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara (118) in this regard. Kohli became the third Indian to have scored an ODI century on their birthday. Tendulkar (134 vs Australia, 1998) and Vinod Kambli (100* vs England, 1993) are the only other Indian players on this list.
What about the SA bowlers?
Ngidi, Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi took one wicket each. Jansen finished as SA's most expensive bowler, having conceded 94 runs in 9.4 overs. These are the most runs conceded by a SA bowler in a World Cup match. Notably, Jansen only occupies the second spot on this list, with 92 runs against Sri Lanka in WC 2023.
