ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: India v/s South Africa Group – B Match… Sachin makes 99th century and rest of 9 wickets fall for 29 runs

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: 
India v/s South Africa Group – B Match… Sachin makes 99th century and rest of 9 wickets fall for 29 runs   


The Group – B match played between India and South Africa will be remembered for the world record made by Sachin Tendulkar when he smashed the deadly balls bowled by the dangerous South Africans bowlers. He scored 111 runs off 101 balls with 8 4s and 3 6s. Virender Sehwag displayed his trademark firework and hit 73 off 66 balls with hardcore 12 boundaries. Gautam Gambhir was the third batsman who scored 69 off 75 balls with 4 boundries. 

Sachin's World Record 99th Century


The other two batsmen were Yuvraj Singh and captain MS Dhoni making 12 runs each. All other batsman of the Team India, were sent back with pitiable scores. Harbhan made 3; Virat Kohli made 1 and the rest of the four- Yusuf Pathan, Zahir Khan, Ashish Nehra and Munaf Patel returned back to the pavilion unceremonially without scoring a single run. 


Look at the peculiar statistics of the performance of Team India in this World Cup Match; the first being “267 for the loss of 1 wicket” and the other “296 all out”.  This was the poorest of the poor performance by any batting lineup, we can ever imagine for a world cup team dreaming to lift the world cup.  Captain Dhoni’s statement was yet more shocking when he talked about the poor performance of the bowlers, rather than making specific mention about the 9 batsman who could collect only 29 runs by batting in erratic manner especially in the power-play configuration. 


We Indian cricket fans are disheartened and demoralized on watching the quick ‘about-turn’ taken by the Team India batting lineup at 39.5 overs, in this match. We, as common viewers of cricket matches and as dedicated Indians we have the following comments to offer:

1. Batsmen should be sent in the dedicated order that is usually decided before the start of the game. It is observed that Yusuf Pathan was sent at an earlier slot than his usual position in the specified batting order. 
2. Sending Yusuf Pathan before MS Dhoni himself in the batting order does not appear to be justified. Dhoni should go himself for batting at 4th or 5th slot.
3. Batsmen should be instructed not to go for boundaries and sixes in the first 3 – 4 balls of the first over if sufficient overs are left with them and if safe and loose balls are not bowled. The batsmen should have patience to settle-down themselves and get seasoned with the wicket and the behavior of the pitch and balls, before going for big hits.
4. Power-play does not mean that you should not go for singles and couples of runs. 
5. You have been sent on the crease to score runs and not to perform there for entertaining the crowd. 
6. You should hit at the ball in a specified manner, after watching the bowling pattern, its trajectory, speed, turns, its hardness, smoothness and all other conditions and characteristics that are better known to the batsmen. 
7.  I being a common cricket fan am not in a position to understand as to what was the harm in including the firebrand Srisant in the India v/s South Africa match. The captain is the appropriate judge to decide this aspect. Nevertheless, Srisant cannot be discarded in the subsequent matches simply for the reason for his failure in the first match.  
8. The option for the power-play should not be used when batsmen like Tendulkar and Sehwag are already hitting boundaries and sixes. It should be asked for when your batsmen are not able to reach out for boundaries and sixes. 

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Result: South Africa Won by 3 Wickets 
India: 296/10 (48.4 Overs)
South Africa: 300/7 (49.4 Overs)
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India: Fall of wickets…
1-142 (Virender Sehwag, 17.4overs) , 2-267 (Sachin Tendulkar, 39.4overs) , 3-268 (Gautam Gambhir, 40.1overs) , 4-268 (Yusuf Pathan, 40.3overs) , 5-283 (Yuvraj Singh, 42.6overs) , 6-286 (Virat Kohli, 43.6overs) , 7-293 (Harbhajan Singh, 46.5overs) , 8-294 (Zaheer Khan, 47.4overs) , 9-296 (Ashish Nehra, 48.3overs) , 10-296 (Munaf Patel, 48.4overs)

South Africa: Fall of wickets…
1-41 (Graeme Smith, 8.3overs) , 2-127 (Hashim Amla, 27.2overs) , 3-173 (Jacques Kallis, 35.4overs) , 4-223 (AB de Villiers, 40.3overs) , 5-238 (Jean-Paul Duminy, 42.3overs) , 6-247 (Morne van Wyk, 43.6overs) , 7-279 (Johan Botha, 47.5overs)
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