IND VS RSA - 11th Match, Group B, ICC Champions Trophy, 2017

***

This wasn't South Africa's worst performance in a knockout game. Might not even be their fourth worst. And the predictability of it all is starting to scare. There's enough dispute around the sharing of ICC revenues, so it might just be time for cricket fans to pool some money and fund a research on South Africa's abject record on the most wrong of days. Only symbolic that they lose on a day mental fortitude, and it alone, ushered Rafael Nadal to his record "La Decima" French Open title. Here's hoping that we don't encounter another anticlimax as predictable as this. Cheers from the entire team: Ramakrishnan, Akshay Maanay, Pratyush Sinha, Sriram, Vineet Anantharaman and Abhinand Raghavendran. Take care, ta-ta!

Well, that's an early finish for everyone. Kohli made some interesting changes to his team today. Would India have been better served with a tougher fight from South Africa? The bowlers did the job - bear in mind that the Proteas had three run-outs today - but the think tank would have ideally wanted them to be tested more before the knockouts.

***

Deepu summarizes the numbers for the evening:
- India now has joint most semifinal appearances in:
ICC events: 14 (with AUS)
ICC ODI events: 11 (with AUS)
CT: Five (with ENG)

- India has now beaten SA four times in four CT matches - the joint most a team has beaten an opposition in CT. Australia has beaten New Zealand four times in six games with two washouts.

- Shikhar Dhawan has now six 50+ scores in CT in eight innings - joint most for any player with Ganguly (in 11 inngs) & Dravid (in 15 inngs).

- Most consecutive 50+ scores in CT:
4 K Williamson (2013-17)
3 Saeed Anwar (2000-02)
3 M Trescothick (2004)
3 S DHAWAN (2017) *

- Lowest scores for SA batting first in ICC ODI tournaments:
149 v Aus, St Lucia, 2007
175 v Eng, Oval, 2013
191 v Ind, Oval, 2017 * (The first two were semifinals and today's a virtual quarterfinal).

To finish as Group B topper:
- SL need to win by around 294 runs.

- Pak need to win by around 267 runs.

- Team bowling first cannot pip India come what may.

AB de Villiers: "It's not an ideal way to finish the tournament. Very disappointing. Credit to them in those first 15-20 overs in the field. They had great intensity, they didn't miss the mark very often. They put pressure on us, going at 3 and half or 4 an over. That's not the way we usually bat. We got something going until those run-outs that cost us dearly today. We never got going. We were hoping to play a better game of cricket today. We did not plan to play conservative cricket up front. They bowled pretty well. They didn't miss the mark a lot. We were completely outplayed today. We had a lot of soft dismissals."

Virat Kohli (2/2): "This is probably our best game we have played so far in this tournament, really delighted with the way the boys turned up today. We played in Birmingham. We really like that stadium and we really like that pitch as well. It suits the kind of cricket we play. Anyone can grab the trophy, but for now our focus is only on Birmingham and bring our "A" game as we did today. There's always room for improvement. You don't want to sit on your laurels and be complacent. That's not what we believe in. We'll look back at where the bowlers went wrong and try to rectify that in our next game. Any game of cricket you play, whether you win or lose, there is always something to learn."

Virat Kohli (1/2): "It was a good toss to win. The wicket didn't change much. We thought the wicket was really good to bat on. Our bowlers bowled really well and the fielders backed it up as well. I would say we had a complete performance in the field. We grabbed our opportunities and that helped us restrict such a strong batting line-up to 190. Always good to get him (AB) out early. He can really hurt you in the middle overs. It was great breakthrough for us. It was good to see the intensity from the boys. It was important for someone to bat till the end. Luckily I could do the job for the team, but Shikhar's intent was outstanding - getting the boundaries when required. I think if you a share a 100 partnership in a 190 chase, more or less you finish games convincingly. Even Yuvi wanted to finish the game along with me to take some confidence to the semis."

Bumrah: "It was an important game for us. We were looking forward to the game. We wanted to be calm and wanted to execute our plans in this game, so it worked out for us. I was happy to bowl with the new ball. We contained well at the start. The ball wasn't swinging, so we wanted to stick to a tight line, not give them room. That was the basic plan for us. Morris can be dangerous in this situation, so it was good to get his wicket. It was a good toss to win and bowl first because the wickets haven't been helping the fast bowlers. Chasing has been relatively easier."

Bumrah is the Man of the Match

In a tourney where flat ODI pitches have missed the wrath of critics, thanks to the inclement weather, South Africa's underwhelming 191 all-out was where the contest died a brutal death. Dhawan did romance another ICC fixture, churning out a 83-ball 78, but India were heavy favourites at the halfway stage, and they played like one. Indian bowlers , stepped up when it mattered, like they have, and outbowled the expectations of every Indian fan tuned in today. Kohli then took charge, following up his bold Umesh-Ashwin swap with a bold half-century of his own. And it was another day that reiterated why greatness should be measured by when the runs are scored, and not how, as much as very likable 360-degree shots might tempt you otherwise.

04:49pm local: History will be kinder to AB de Villiers; his friend du Plessis is not, perhaps. Thrice - in the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal against New Zealand, in the 2015 World Cup pool game against India, and again today, in the 2017 Champions Trophy knockout game - was du Plessis at the other end when de Villiers was run-out. Not that du Plessis was responsible three out of three times, but clearly, school friendship isn't a default guarantee for batting camaraderie. It was Hardik Pandya today, from point, with a flat-darter to Dhoni of all people. The bails were off before AB de Villiers could realize that he had done it again. He had responded to du Plessis's call for a single that wasn't -- for a single that chaperones South Africa out of this Champions Trophy.

With the run-rate being very high, India are likely to go to Edgbaston to face Bangladesh. What an easy win this has been for India. At the toss, with South Africa batting first and the pitch expected to be batsman friendly, many thought it would be a stiff chase for India, but the Proteas - the number one ranked ODI side - never turned up. Yet again, they forget the art of handling pressure in ICC tourneys.

Duminy to Yuvraj, SIX, "We want six, we want six," was the chant from the crowd and Yuvraj responds in style. India maintain a clean sheet over South Africa in Champions Trophy. They beat them in 2000, 2002, 2013 and now in 2017. A semi-final berth has been booked. Easy victory it turns out be. Not many expected this game to end with 12 overs to spare, but such has been India's dominance. This was a drag down from Duminy, Yuvraj pulls off the back foot and it sails over the mid-wicket boundary

Duminy to Yuvraj, no run, Yuvraj steps out in an attempt to finish it this ball, but gets too close to the pitch of the ball and yorks himself up

Duminy to Kohli, 1 run, on the stumps, Kohli flicks it to mid-wicket

India are just a hit away now

Duminy to Yuvraj, 1 run, on the stumps, flicked to mid wicket

Duminy to Yuvraj, 2 runs, Yuvraj goes for his famous cover drive, but this one spins a bit more and takes the outside edge, rolls to point