STATE TIMES NEWS
KOLKATA: Birthday boy Virat Kohli hit a record-equalling 49th ODI century while Ravindra Jadeja took a five-wicket haul as India crushed South Africa by 243 runs to record their eighth World Cup win here on Sunday.
Kohli, who turned 35 on Sunday, struck 101 not out off 121 balls — which put him at par with Sachin Tendulkar — and shared a 134-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (77) to take India to an imposing 326 for five.
Then Jadeja (5/33) Mohammed Shami (2/18), and Kuldeep Yadav (2/7) bowled superb spells to dismiss the Proteas for 83 in 27.1 overs.
Earlier, openers Rohit Sharma (40 off 24 balls) and Shubman Gill (23) gave India a good start with a 62-run stand after the hosts elected to bat.
The flurry of shots from Rohit’s bat saw India complete 50 runs in just 4.3 overs as the skipper smashed two sixes and six boundaries during his entertaining innings.
Once Kohli and Iyer came together, following Rohit and Gill’s departure they smashed the Proteas bowlers all around the ground. Jadeja played a cameo unbeaten 29-run innings off 15 balls to guide India to a big total.
Both India and South Africa have already secured their place in the semifinals.