Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect from the surface? The recent numbers suggest a strong scoring venue where big totals are very much in play. In this World Cup, the average first innings score across four games is 192, and teams that have won after batting first have gone even bigger, averaging 203. The results show a fairly even contest, with sides batting first winning twice, losing once, and one match ending in a tie. The highest total recorded here remains 234/4 by the India vs NZ in 2023, but chasing is not impossible - South Africa successfully chased 176 against New Zealand in this World Cup. Overall, teams that bat well early and push past the 200 mark usually gain a clear advantage.

South Africa have won the toss and have opted to bat

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravart

South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Ryan Rickelton, Dewald Brevis, David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi

Suryakumar Yadav::

 We were also looking to bat first, good occasion for everyone to come up and show what we have got. We have good energy on the field and we will take the result whatever comes our way. Happy to bowl first

Aiden Markram: 

We gonna bat first, really a good wicket and lot drier than what we have seen. The boys are looking in good touch and it's a good place to be at the moment. We have been fortunate to play a couple of games here, this is black soil pitch. We have made 4 changes from the previous game. Kesh, Lungi and Marco come back in.

Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock are at the crease.

Aiden Markram is on strike.

Arshdeep Singh will open the attack

0.1

Arshdeep Singh to Aiden Markram, 1 run, 134ks good length outside off

RSA 4-0

Quinton de Kock 1(4)

Aiden Markram 2(2)

Arshdeep Singh 1-0-3-0

1.4

Jasprit Bumrah to Quinton de Kock, FOUR, first boundary of the game! 137ks full toss in the slot outside off, QDK slaps it square and gets enough timing to slice it past the fielder at cover to his right

1.5

Jasprit Bumrah to Quinton de Kock, out Bowled!! The leg peg has been smashed. No feet from de Kock. Tries to slog the 137ks nip-backer and misses it completely. It tailed enough and kept a fraction low to beat QDK on the under edge. Bumrah used the crease and went a bit wide to create the angle

Quinton de Kock b Jasprit Bumrah 6(7) [4s-1]

RSA 10-1(2) CRR:5

Ryan Rickelton 0(1)

Aiden Markram 3(4)

Jasprit Bumrah 1-0-6-1

80,000.00 expected.

2.4

Arshdeep Singh to Aiden Markram, out Caught by Hardik Pandya!! That is catching practice for Hardik Pandya. 135ks slightly overpitched outside off, Markram tries to smash the drive down the ground and picks out the man at mid-off

Aiden Markram c Hardik Pandya b Arshdeep Singh 4(7)

2.6

6

Arshdeep Singh to Ryan Rickelton, SIX, launched! Short and slanted down leg, Rickelton helped it into the fine leg stands with a well-timed flick. He swiveled across and timed it really well for a 78-metre maximum

RSA 19-2

Ryan Rickelton7(3)

Dewald Brevis1(1)

Arshdeep Singh 2-0-12-1

3.6

W

Jasprit Bumrah to Ryan Rickelton, out Caught by Shivam Dube!! Jasprit Bumrah with his arms aloft as the crowd go bonkers in Ahmedabad. Slower delivery that pitched outside leg and angled in towards middle stump. Rickelton was early into the loft and ended up chipping an easy catch to the fielder at mid-off. 

Ryan Rickelton c Shivam Dube b Jasprit Bumrah 7(7) [6s-1]

RSA 20-3(4) CRR:5

Ryan Rickelton 7(7)

Dewald Brevis 2(3)

Jasprit Bumrah 2-0-7-2

4.5

Varun Chakaravarthy to David Miller, FOUR, that was loaded a bit fuller from Varun and Miller has tonked it over mid-off with terrific timing

4.4

Varun Chakaravarthy to David Miller, FOUR, pokes at a quicker delivery and gets a thick outside edge that runs away past the slip fielder to his left. No chance for Abhishek there...

4.3

Varun Chakaravarthy to David Miller, 2 runs, excellent effort from Tilak and Arshdeep. The duo ran in from covers and prevented the boundary. It was a full ball from Varun and Miller sliced the drive to the right of Tilak at cover