World Cup 2023: Keshav Maharaj calls South Africa's loss against India a 'blessing in disguise'

All-rounder Keshav Maharaj is looking at the silver lining after South Africa were humbled by a dominant India during the World Cup match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday (Nov 5).

Speaking after the game, Maharaj said the loss was a 'blessing in disguise' for the team ahead of the crucial knockout stage.

"It's probably a good thing and a blessing in disguise for this team to make sure that we iron out our glitches. It's just a good eye-opener for us," the spinner said.

Maharaj was of the view that the law of averages had caught up with the Proteas after they had put up a string of consistent performances.

"We played four good games on the bounce, so naturally there's one game that would go wrong, not to make excuses for the performance today, but I think it's a good idea and indication of what we need to do better going forward in this tournament, obviously building up towards that semifinal," Maharaj said.

"It's about making sure that we're practicing in the next couple of games going forward into the semi-final and rectifying it sooner rather than later," he added.

India serve a thrashing

Bowling first against India, the South African bowlers were wayward in the first powerplay as Marco Jansen and co. went for plenty. Opener RohitSharma andShubman Gill clobbered the South African bowlers plundering91 runs in 10 overs.

After their dismissal, India's mainstay at no. 3, Virat Kohli took charge and saw the innings through by smashing a record-equalling 49th ODI ton. In the end, India finished with a challenging 326-run total on a pitch that was slightly double-paced and lacked true bounce.

During the chase, none of the South African batters could turn up as the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami ripped through them. The Proteas were bundled out for 83 in 28 overs as India won the contest by 243 runs to retain the top-of-the-table position.

While the defeat was demoralising, it does not do a whole lot of damage to South Africa's chances in the World Cup. The team will play its final league game against Afghanistan before returning to Eden Gardens for the second semifinal against the team that finishes third on the points table.

(With inputs from agencies)