Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat against South Africa in Sunday's T20 World Cup battle. There was a change for the Men in Blue where Axar Patel was replaced at the base by Deepak Hooda. South Africa, on the other hand, has deployed an unmodified XI.
The Perth stadium track is known for its abrupt bounce. So it will be interesting to see India's top-order versus South African bowling team in today's match. The match will most likely decide the Group 2 toppers and the India's semi-final venue.
David Miller and Aiden Markram broke through fifties by leading South Africa to the top of the Group 2 Super 12 points table with a five-wicket win over India in a thrilling T20 Men's World Cup at the Perth Stadium on Sunday.
But let's not forget that South Africa set the tone on the pitch. Their fast men were exceptional and made excellent use of the short ball. India's attacks were also largely on hold. They used more lengths and found swing , but in the end both captains had to play around with how to use their spinner.
Temba Bavuma failed to take a break with the bat and fell short again but made the right decision to field Keshav Maharaj for just three overs while Aiden Markram gave one away. Together they gave up 33 runs in four overs. Rohit Sharma sent R Ashwin off and used him to bowl 17th over. At that point, South Africa needed 25 runs from 18 balls. They took 13 from Ashwin and even though he ousted Tristan Stubbs, it was too little, too late.
The India bowlers try their best to make a match out of a low scoring game but David Miller and Aiden Markram make sure that the Proteas got across the finish line in a pleasant manner with two ball to spare.
This result has major implications for the rest of the group, especially Pakistan, whose hopes of reaching the semi-finals are on the line. South Africa's victory means that Pakistan not only have to beat South Africa on Thursday, but also hope that either India will lose to Bangladesh and Zimbabwe or South Africa will be beaten by the Netherlands.
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