World Cup 2019: 3 Key Factors behind India's opening win over South Africa
Nearly one week after the commencement of the 12th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup, India played its first game against South Africa at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
However, the wait was worth it, as India registered a convincing win, edging the Proteas in all the three departments. It was an all-round effort by the Men in Blue, as they handed a third consecutive defeat to Faf du Plessis' men in the tournament.
The pacers bowled at good lengths and were complemented by a controlled effort from the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. In the batting department, Rohit Sharma played the role of an anchor and was well supported by the likes of KL Rahul, MS Dhoni and Hardik Pandya.
After a convincing win, we take a look at three specific factors that drove the team towards the win:
#3 Double Blows by Bumrah and Chahal
South African skipper Faf du Plessis opted to bat first after winning the toss. However, the decision turned out to be erroneous as they lost their openers in quick succession, attributable to a mind-boggling effort by India's pace sensation Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah kept bowling outside the off stump to de Kock in the first few overs. Controlled bowling by his compatriot Bhuvneshwar Kumar mounted the pressure on Hashim Amla, as the right hander was trapped by Bumrah at first slip in the 4th over.
Bumrah kept bowling regularly at good length, thereby restricting the flow of runs. He came back in his third over and got rid of the in-form Quinton de Kock with a smart catch by the skipper at third slip. The pace sensation put up an exhilarating show of fast bowling and sent back both the openers to expose the South African middle order early on.
Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen were up to the task of rebuilding the innings, as they stitched a 54-run partnership for the third wicket. Soon after, Kohli introduced Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack, who brought back the ghosts of the 2018 series for the Proteas.
Chahal, like Bumrah, struck his first blood in his second over, however, he went on to pick another scalp in the same over. Both the set batsmen were totally baffled by his leg spin, as the 28-year old knocked off their bails.
South Africa never quite recovered from these early setbacks to their top order. Chahal further ran through the middle order, as he ended up taking 4 wickets in the game.
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