World Cup 2023: Gautam Gambhir says this batting duo should be hailed more than Rohit and Gill
Unbeaten India equal unique ODI World Cup record after 243-run win over SA
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir believes Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer deserve more plaudits for their performance against South Africa than Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. India beat the Proteas by a whopping 243-run margin over the weekend to secure a top-of-the-table finish ahead of the knockouts.
Batting first, India were off to a flyer, courtesy of Sharma and Gill as they plundered South African bowlers for 91 runs in the first 10 overs. However, soon after the powerplay, with the ball becoming old, batting became difficult on the Eden Gardens pitch, forcing no. 3 Kohli and Iyer to take a cautious approach, radically different from the openers.
"I believe Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli batted on a different planet. This was not the Wankhede or Delhi where the conditions are easy throughout the innings," Gambhir told host broadcaster Star Sports.
"Here it was easy at the start and became difficult in the middle and at the end. So I believe both should be praised more than Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill," he added.
Indian gameplan against the Proteas
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The Kohli-Iyer duo gave full respect to spinners Keshav Maharaj and Tabrez Shamsi, even if it meant not scoring as fluently as they would have liked.
"Spin was going to be the biggest challenge. The way the two of them batted against Keshav Maharaj, he might have conceded just 30 runs but the important thing was that he picked up just one wicket, and because of that South Africa had to get their fast bowlers back," said Gambhir.
After the spinners had their say in the game, the Indian batters cashed in on the pacers, especially Iyer, who took particular affinity for Marco Jansen. Meanwhile, Kohli carried his bat through and smashed his 49th ODI century, equalling the record set by Sachin Tendulkar, over a decade ago.
While Virat reached his milestone, batting remained difficult on the sluggish track. Although India recalibrated their plans to reach anywhere near 300, late cameos from Suryakumar Yadav (22 off 14) and Ravindra Jadeja (29 off 15) ensured that the team posted an above-par target of 327.
After the end of Indian innings, all eyes were on Jadeja as the pitch had enough in it to offer something to a bowler of his calibre. The left-arm orthodox spinner did not disappoint and walked away with a fifer (9-1-33-5) that dismantled the South African batting lineup.
(With inputs from agencies)