Proteas left reeling after thumping defeat to India

Reigniting concerns about their inconsistency, the Proteas completely capitulated on Sunday as they were handed a crushing 243-run defeat by India at the Cricket World Cup.

While South Africa had already booked their place in the playoffs alongside the unbeaten hosts, their second defeat of the tournament left the SA team reeling in the build-up to the semi-finals.

Chasing 327 runs to win in Kolkata, the Proteas never got going, with the entire batting order falling apart as they were completely demolished.

All-rounder Marco Jansen top-scored with 14 runs as South Africa were bundled out for just 83 runs in the 28th over, with India charging to a comprehensive victory.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja led the impressive Indian attack, returning career-best figures of 5/33.

India innings

Earlier, top-order batter Virat Kohli laid a solid foundation for India after they won the toss and chose to bat, with the host nation reaching 326/5 in their 50 overs.

While the Proteas bowlers toiled away in an attempt to contain their opponents, India stuck their heels in, showing why they were still the favourites for the global title.

India’s top order got off to a spectacular start in the powerplay, and while the Proteas attack managed to rein them back in, they were unable to gain control.

Kohli hit an unbeaten 101 off 121 balls, forming a 134-run stand with Shreyas Iyer (77) for the third wicket along the way.

Five Proteas bowlers took one wicket each, with spinner Keshav Maharaj standing out after giving away just 30 runs from his 10 overs.

Failing to chase

Having been widely criticised for their inability to chase down a target, with most of their victories at the World Cup being achieved after batting first, Proteas captain Temba Bavuma admitted they hadn’t done anything to promote confidence from their supporters back home.

“We know the challenge and we know the narrative around us while chasing. We didn’t do it any justice today,” the skipper said.

“When we talk about it as a batting group we’ve got to be honest. The first 10 overs with the ball made it a challenge, and we did do quite well after that, but the biggest challenge was taking wickets and India built big stands.

“The conditions are the biggest learning. The wicket played as we suspected it to play because we expected it to deteriorate, but we didn’t adapt well. It will be up to us to adapt our skills accordingly.”

The Proteas will face Afghanistan in their final round-robin match in Ahmedabad on Friday.