KARACHI: The World Cup 2023 is now entering its final phase as the league stage of the tournament will be over soon and we will be heading towards the knockout round of the event.
This year’s mega event saw many surprises and upsets but there were two teams who remained dominant throughout the event.
The hosts, India, played seven games and won all of them to become the first side to qualify for the semi-finals. Meanwhile, South Africa is another team that has impressed one and all after winning six out of their first seven league matches. Although, South Africa suffered a shock defeat to the Netherlands but their dominant run makes them the favourites to feature in the final of the event.
There are many reasons behind the success of these two teams and a few are highlighted below:
Fearless approach
If we take a look at the points table of the World Cup 2023, both sides are placed at the top two spots and their net run rate is also above +2.
One main reason behind this is the fact that India and South Africa have played a different brand of cricket. They simply do not care about what opponent they are playing against or what ground they are playing in.
If they bat first, they make sure that they post the highest possible total. If they are defending, they try to get the opposition done and dusted as quickly as possible.
In their seven games, South Africa has scored 350 or more four times in this year’s World Cup. Only twice, they have scored under 300 in the event. Moreover, they created history in their opening game of the World Cup when they scored 428 runs against Sri Lanka, which is the highest team total in World Cup history. Their fearless batting made sure to give them a massive net run rate boost and it also allowed them to dominate every game.
Team India won their first five games while chasing. On four occasions, they won the game by six or more wickets. When they had to defend in their last two matches of the event, they won one by 100 runs and the other by 302 runs. They bowled out Sri Lanka for 55 in their latest match of the World Cup 2023. Let it be batting or bowling, they outclassed the opposition every time.
All boxes ticked
We have seen many teams in the World Cup 2023 with weak links, but India and South Africa don’t seem to have any. They have won matches consistently and dominantly. Whether the toss goes in their favour or not, they are prepared for every situation.
Five Indian batters average above 40 in this event. These include Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Ravindra Jadeja. Shubman Gill also averages close to 40 (39.20). Except for Kohli (89.47) and KL Rahul (81), all other mentioned batters have a strike rate above 95. This shows how impactful this batting unit has been.
With the ball, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Kuldeep all average under 30 and except Pandya (6.84), all other mentioned bowlers have their economy rate under five runs an over. This sums up how well India have done collectively.
Meanwhile, in the South African unit, all batters except Temba Bavuma have a batting average of 40+. Even Keshav Maharaj and Marco Jansen average above 40 with the bat which shows you how much depth they have in their batting. When we talk about specialist batters in the South African squad, all of them except Bavuma have strike rates above 90.
With the ball, except Lungi Ngidi, all of their bowlers have an average of under 30.
Except for batting and bowling, these two sides field really well. Their catching and ground fielding is extraordinary. Both teams have a catch efficiency of 81 percent during the tournament, so far, which is among the best in the event.
Tremendous bench strength
If their main squad wasn’t enough, both sides have incredible strength at the bench too.
Mohammad Shami of India was benched for the first few games. He only got a chance to play after the injury of Hardik Pandya. Shami has played just three games of the mega event so far, and still, he managed to pick 14 wickets. In two out of these three games, he picked up five-wicket hauls.
They also have the likes of Ravi Ashwin, who can contribute with both bat and ball, available on the bench as well.
South Africa had to play Lizaad Williams and Reeza Hendricks in some games. Reeza scored 97 runs in two innings while Lizaad Williams managed a couple of wickets in his sole appearance. Both of them delivered well when the team needed and proved that South Africa have enough backup available.
Conclusively, it could be said that South Africa and India have come well-prepared for the event. They look strong in every department and it will be really hard for anyone to stop them. These two giants will square off on 5th November in the 37th Group Match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Eden Gardens Kolkata. It will be interesting to see who wins this game, and the winner of this game will definitely be the most favourite to lift the trophy on 19th November in Ahmedabad.
Based on their brilliant performances so far, there is a high possibility that India and South Africa will be the finalists in the competition for the biggest cricketing prize.
Bazif Jabbar Passionate Cricket writer and Commentator. Sharing the magic of the game through words.