'I think if we had rattled one or two more in the morning, we threw everything at them today morning and with all due respect, they batted incredibly well. Maybe at a stage, 350 was on our mind, that we were possibly looking at. But then it just seemed to get a bit slower and it was definitely not reversing as much as it was yesterday'
Australia captain Pat Cummins lavished praise on Mitchell Starc as the rangy left-arm paceman joined the 300 wickets club in style on Sunday during the first Test win over South Africa.
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar rejected criticism of the pitches in the ongoing Test series against South Africa, and said the blame rather lies with the Proteas batsmen, who lack 'application, technique and temperament'.
Australia bowled out South Africa for a below-par 212 despite David Miller's defiant 101 but the chase was not as straightforward as Pat Cummins and his team would have liked.
How India's players rated in the South Africa Test series.
This was the third time India were involved in a two-day Test.
Fresh from posting 399 in their previous game, South Africa batting was on fire yet again at the cost of Bangladesh who endured a 149-run rout.
The World Cup trophy was not meant to be his, but India's 'Captain Fearless' Rohit Sharma gave everything on the field and so did Mohammed Shami, who set the record for most fifers in the tournament's history.
The South African is firm about progressing further in his journey as an all-rounder.
IMAGES from the World Cup match between India and South Africa played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday
Australia completed victory at the Gabba in two days, batting marginally better than the Proteas on a perilous, grassy pitch that South Africa captain Dean Elgar complained was unfair to the batters. T
The 32-year-old Starc was diagnosed with a detached tendon in the middle finger and missed the third and final Test against the Proteas at Sydney.
'But obviously, Ben trained really well last night. It is great to see him back. He obviously brings a lot on the field and with his presence and leadership skills as well as someone who is always good to turn to," added the wicketkeeper-batter.'
Australia's fast bowling sensation Nathan Ellis to focus on white-ball cricket ahead of the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
Dhoni returns to the Indian dressing room after three months and for him the series will be start of the preparation for next year's World Twenty20, that will be hosted by India.
India might have begun their World Cup campaign with a morale-boosting win over Pakistan but Jonty Rhodes feels that South Africa are a better all-round side and tipped them to win their high-profile clash against the defending champions in Melbourne on Sunday.
The Proteas squad members assembled at the Feroz Shah Kotla for their optional practice session after clearing their RT PCR tests
It was the fourth straight win in as many Tests in the World Test Championship for Virat Kohli's men, who also won 2-0 in West Indies, and India have now won 11 consecutive Test series at home.
South Africa broke their 24-year World Cup jinx against Pakistan with a nervy one-wicket victory and inched closer to securing a semi-final place with their fifth win in six matches.
Mumbai Indians head coach March Boucher sounded confident that the youngsters that the team invested in will perform this season.
Bracing up for the upcoming Test series against India, South Africa batsman Aiden Markram acknowledges that some of his teammates "might still be carrying a bit of baggage" of the 0-3 drubbing they endured in 2015 in the country.
This was the first time in the history of SA cricket a senior team had reached the final of a World Cup.
Boucher, whose last assignment with the South African team was the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia where the Proteas exited at the Super 12 stage, said the new role had come with a lot of responsibility.
Images from the World Cup match between South Africa and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
South Africa coach Rob Walter blames shock defeat to Netherlands on his side's death bowling and poor start with bat
The marauding Indians haven't put a foot wrong in their authoritative run in the World Cup, and it won't be a surprise if they go about plundering the Netherlands in their final league game, where Virat Kohl will have a perfect opportunity to scale 'Mount 50' at his spiritual home.
Nkwe replaces West Indian Ottis Gibson, the previous head coach, for the trip which starts in September and includes three Tests and three Twenty20 Internationals.
The positive result came from a second round of testing conducted ahead of the series, South Africa's first international cricket for eight months.
They know what it takes to win the 50-over World Cup, having won five of them in 12 editions, but Australia skipper Pat Cummins says they are never "weighed down" by history and will stick to basics against South Africa in the second semi-final in Kolkata on Thursday.
Australia blanked England while South Africa and Bangladesh showed their bowling prowess with mighty wins over Zimbabwe and USA respectively. In the 16th-place play-off, Afghanistan fought off a spirited USA side to win a low-scoring thriller.
The most interesting aspect of the contest is the form of batters from both sides which has been the reason of their success so far.
Despite the win the Pakistan skipper expressed disappointment at the form shown by him and opener Mohammad Rizwan, as both the batters failed to contribute.
De Grandhomme fell before the end but Williamson reached his century with a six in the final over and guided New Zealand to their fourth win of the tournament with three balls to spare.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing for the second and final Test against South Africa?
Intention is to play every match, we won't be rotating bowlers unless we have to: Pat Cummins
Sadeera Samarawickrama top-scored with an unbeaten 91 to power Sri Lanka to an easy five-wicket victory against the Netherlands.
"If you talk to all the great players out there, they say he is a great player. We'll just have to see if he bounces back in Melbourne. He is a pretty tough nut, old David. I don't think that (run drought) necessarily worries him," Erskine added.
Three major upsets that highlighted this World Cup.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for Sunday's match against South Africa?
