#WorldCup 2019: How South Africa choked against India

Southampton (UK), June 6: South Africa posted a rather unsavoury landmark during their defeat at the hands of India in their World Cup round robin clash here on Wednesday.

This was the first time that the Proteas have lost three consecutive matches in a World Cup.

They were thrashed by hosts and strong title contenders England in the inaugural match of the World Cup before being stunned by former minnows Bangladesh.

While the South Africans have been infamously labelled as 'chokers' they have been rendered heavily handicapped by a spate of injuries to crucial players at this year's tournament.

However, they did commit a few mistakes in the three matches they have played so far which cost them dearly.

1. Selection issues: South Africa have made chaged to their playing XI in all the three matches they have played so far at this World Cup.

They missed the services of the injured Hashim Amla and pacer Dwayne Pretorius against Bangladesh.  

During the match against India, they brought in an extra tweaker in the form of leg-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi as a replacement for the injured Lungi Ngidi.

Shamsi was not too effective against India and the South Africans probably missed the services of an extra quality pacer who could have exploited the swing-friendly conditions much better.

2. Poor decision at toss: South Africa captain Faf du Plessis had chosen to bat first against India after wining the toss.

The decision was probably influenced by the fact that the Proteas had lost both their previous games while failing to tackle the pressure while chasing.

However, the early morning start and uneven grass on the pitch meant that the South Afrrican batsmen were left struggling against the Indian bowlers.

3. Quality Indian bowling: India's star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah troubled the South African batsmen right from the start with his pace, swing and movement off the pitch. 

The experienced Amla edged the first ball he faced from Bumrah to the slips.

His opening partner Quinton de Kock was also dismissed in a similar manner after being beaten by a beautifully bowled away going delivery.

The Indian spinners, especially Yuzvendra Chahal, also utilised the conditions well. Chahal returned the best figures in this World Cup so far -- 4/51 from his 10 overs.

It was also the second-best bowling figures for an Indian on World Cup debut.

4. Rohit Sharma: Star opener Rohit Sharma carried his bat through the innings to remain unbeaten on 122.

 This was the highest individual score of the tournament to date.

This was his second World Cup century. He had posted 137 in a winning cause against Bangladesh in the quarterfinals of the 2015 World Cup.

In the process, Rohit surpassed former India skipper Sourav Ganguly in the list of batsmen scoring most centuries for India.

Rohit, who now has 23 hundreds to his name is currently placed third on the list, pushing Ganguly to the fourth spot.

News24 Bureau

Photo: Google Image