The ongoing Champions Trophy might have been interrupted by rain, but one hopes that the rain gods stay away when India takes on South Africa on Sunday, June 11. It is a must-win game for both teams, who are looking to reach the semifinals of the competition.
Coming into this clash, India beat Pakistan comprehensively but lost to Sri Lanka despite scoring 300-plus runs. South Africa, on the other hand, beat Sri Lanka and lost to Pakistan. Now, there are no room for errors when the two cricketing giants meet at the Oval.
With the pitches in England having not supported the seamers much, India and South Africa should look to chase. And add the unpredictable weather, batting second would be a wise option. However, weather and toss are two factors that are not in their hands; but what they can surely do is play wonderful cricket.
India have a solid team and their batsmen such as Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh have contributed. India's batting line-up in this Champions Trophy is one of the strongest, and even if two of these players have a great day with the bat, India could be in the driver's seat for this must-win clash.
However, India bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who have come into the Champions Trophy with lots of confidence, will need to get their A game going. They might decide to play R Ashwin and drop Umesh Yadav to trouble South Africa, who are not great players of spin bowling.
But, then when a player like AB De Villiers is one of the opponents' players, anything is possible. He can win matches from impossible situations. The South Africa skipper, though out of form, can murder both the seamers and pacers if he brings his A game in the middle.
It is not going to be about De Villiers alone. Hashim Amla is a run machine and Quinton De Kock is their man at the top and the left-hander, most of the times, gets SA to a good start. In Chris Morris, they have got a fine all-rounder, and add the likes of Imran Tahir and Kagiso Rabada, they are a balanced unit.
So, looking at both the teams, and their quality players, there is nothing to choose between the two. It is their performance over 100 overs, which will count on Sunday. India and South Africa are aware that there will be nerves, considering this game being a do-or-die Champions Trophy encounter.
Kohli believes team, which shows better compsure on Sunday will reach the semifinals.
"The team that can have most composure, I would say, to sum it up, will have a better chance of winning the game tomorrow. That's what I've experienced in the past. You tend to get overexcited, and then you commit errors that can cost the team important runs, or you fail to grab all the chances because you're overexcited and that can cost the team as well. I think composure will be the biggest word for tomorrow," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Kohli as saying.
Where to watch live
India vs South Africa is scheduled for a 10.30am BST, 3pm IST start. Live streaming and TV information is below.
India: TV: DD National, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1HD. Live Streaming: Hotstar.
South Africa: TV: SuperSport 2. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 2. Live Streaming: Sky Go and Watch Sky Sports.
Middle East: TV: OSN Sports Cricket. Live Streaming: OSN Play.
USA: TV: Willow TV. Live Streaming: Willow TV Live Online.
New Zealand: TV: Sky Sports. Live Streaming: Sky Go NZ.
Australia: TV: Fox Sports. Live Streaming: Foxtel.
