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India vs South Africa, 13th Match, Pool B at Melbourne, , Feb 22 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
13th Match, Pool B (D/N), Melbourne, February 22, 2015, ICC Cricket World Cup
307/7
(40.2/50 ov, T:308) 177

India won by 130 runs

Player Of The Match
137 (146) & 2 catches
shikhar-dhawan
New
SA
Full commentary

10.10pm Okay then, folks. That's all from us. Hope you enjoyed the game, and keep tuning in and sending in your comments as always. Until next time, bye!

Hemang Mistry: "Shikhar Dhawan scored 216 runs in his 10 innings over the summer in Australia, and scored 214 runs in first 2 games of WC 2015. Way to go!!"

AB de Villiers: "The run-outs cost us dearly tonight, just when we got started with the bat. We lost our way. Thought our bowlers fought back well, we were looking at 350 at one stage. It was a 270-275 kind of wicket, but looking at the way the Indians batted, it was a good effort to restrict them to 307. We just have to regroup as a batting unit and work hard on our game. I still thought it was a good toss to win. It was one of those where you wanted to bat first and put a team under pressure who had fielded in the heat, but still no excuses. We lost Vernon and I needed Parny's overs. Otherwise I'd have ended up bowling again. We just didn't bat well enough."

MS Dhoni: I think more than just the result, it was how we played. Back to back performances by both the bowling and batting units. South Africa are a very good side, so one more complete performance. We can only speculate how important the toss was. We were able to swing the ball under lights. The bowlers bowled in good areas, and even Jadeja bowled very well, not just quick and flat the way he usually bowls. Very pleased with the run-outs. We usually see the oppositions taking on our fast bowlers in the deep. Mohit and Umesh are quite fast and have good arms. What's happening really well is we are able to execute our plans. I can give fields to the fast bowlers. They are not bowling loose balls. They bowled tight lines and the batsmen had to play big shots to get runs. The amount of effort the fast bowlers are putting in the nets is beginning to show now."

Shikhar Dhawan is the man of the match. "I would say it's a great feeling," he says. "It was important that the partnerships were going big for my team. That was my plan. We lost the early wicket today, AB hit a great run out. Just wanted to stay at the wicket, respected the good balls. I was relaxed, I knew once set I could bring up the run rate again. After 20-25th over I was in, and I knew I could get boundaries easily. [Kohli and Rahane] batted beautifully. Virat at the start when we were under pressure, gave the stability, and Jinky started on a good note, and his strike rate was good so I could relax at the other end." Thanks the crowd specifically before walking off.

Ribhav Bansal: "This is India's 2nd biggest win against a Test nation at the World Cup. Also, India have never lost an ODI when Dhawan has scored a century, has happened all 7 times."

9.52pm India have won by 130 runs. No one would have predicted this at the start, and not even after they got 307. But they bowled with discipline with the new ball, the spinners chipped in, and the fielding was excellent. The partnership between AB and Faf kept South Africa in the hunt, but the run out of AB changed the game completely, and the rest of the batting folded without too much resistance. India have won two massive games, and their net run rate will reflect it. South Africa have a few issues to sort out, particularly with who they want to occupy that No. 7 slot. It's South Africa's biggest defeat in a World Cup game, and India's third-biggest win over them in ODIs.

40.2
W
Jadeja to Tahir, OUT

and that is that. Round-arm, angled in, goes with the arm and hits him on the front pad, halfway forward to defend, and it's lbw even before he appealed

Imran Tahir lbw b Jadeja 8 (10b 1x4 0x6 11m) SR: 80

around the wicket to Tahir

40.1
1
Jadeja to Parnell, 1 run

back of a length, turns in towards off, and he makes room to flat-bat it to long-off

40.1
1w
Jadeja to Parnell, 1 wide

fires it full and flat down the leg side to start the new spell

Here's Jadeja, over the wicket to Parnell

end of over 405 runs
SA: 175/9CRR: 4.37 RRR: 13.30
Imran Tahir8 (9b 1x4)
Wayne Parnell16 (27b 1x4)
Ravichandran Ashwin 10-0-41-3
Mohammed Shami 8-1-30-2
39.6
4
Ashwin to Tahir, FOUR runs

sees it flighted outside off and goes for a big drive, edges it thickly past slip for four

39.5
Ashwin to Tahir, no run

that looked like the carrom ball, angled in towards off and straightening. Tahir defended it safely enough

39.4
Ashwin to Tahir, no run

a bit quicker, angled in towards off stump, and again he gets a good stride out to defend

39.3
Ashwin to Tahir, no run

nice loop outside off and Tahir is at full stretch to defend

39.2
1
Ashwin to Parnell, 1 run

comes down the track to go inside-out, doesn't get to the pitch and chips it towards mid-off

39.1
Ashwin to Parnell, no run

speared in towards middle and leg and he tries to reverse-sweep, only gets it as far as slip

end of over 398 runs
SA: 170/9CRR: 4.35 RRR: 12.54
Imran Tahir4 (5b)
Wayne Parnell15 (25b 1x4)
Mohammed Shami 8-1-30-2
Ravichandran Ashwin 9-0-36-3
38.6
Shami to Tahir, no run

bouncer over middle and leg, and Tahir crouches awkwardly to evade it

38.5
Shami to Tahir, no run

full, angling across to off stump, squeezed away to backward point

around the wicket now

38.4
1
Shami to Parnell, 1 run

another short ball, rises higher than the one he pulled for four. Isn't fully in control, manages to keep it down short of deep square leg

38.3
Shami to Parnell, no run

banged in and it flies high over middle and off. Parnell makes room to ramp but it's too quick for him

38.2
4
Shami to Parnell, FOUR runs

short ball, sits up over off stump and Parnell pulls it away powerfully to the midwicket boundary

38.1
3
Shami to Tahir, 3 runs

full outside off, driven away through square cover

end of over 381 run • 1 wicket
SA: 162/9CRR: 4.26 RRR: 12.16
Wayne Parnell10 (22b)
Imran Tahir1 (2b)
Ravichandran Ashwin 9-0-36-3
Mohammed Shami 7-1-22-2
37.6
Ashwin to Parnell, no run

goes with the angle from wide of the crease and hits him on the pad again as he comes forward to defend, pops up wide of slip. Was going down leg quite clearly

37.5
Ashwin to Parnell, no run

length ball angling in towards middle stump. Parnell goes deep in his crease to punch into the covers

37.4
1
Ashwin to Tahir, 1 run

slow, loopy full-toss on off stump, swiped down the ground to mid-off

37.3
Ashwin to Tahir, no run

carrom ball outside off. Tahir squeezes it away to backward point

37.2
W
Ashwin to Morkel, OUT

a bit of air now, angling in towards middle and leg, and he clears his front leg to slog-sweep, misses it completely and it straightens to clatter into the stumps

Morne Morkel b Ashwin 2 (5b 0x4 0x6 3m) SR: 40
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South Africa Innings
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ICC Cricket World Cup

Pool A
TEAMMWLPTNRR
NZ660122.564
AUS64192.257
SL64280.371
BAN63270.136
ENG6244-0.753
AFG6152-1.853
SCOT6060-2.218
Pool B
TEAMMWLPTNRR
IND660121.827
SA64281.707
PAK6428-0.085
WI6336-0.053
IRE6336-0.933
ZIM6152-0.527
UAE6060-2.032