BackIndia vs South Africa in five milestones
A Dhawan century is a good omen and so is scoring over 300 when India bats first in Melbourne
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The Cricket World Cup match on Sunday between India and South Africa at the Melboune Cricket Ground (MCG) saw some records being broken—most notably India’s three-match World Cup jinx against the Proteas. But the key performances that led to India’s victory also ensured that certain milestones remained intact. Here’s a look at what will be remembered in the archives about his day:
1.This was India’s maiden World Cup win against South Africa after having lost the clashes in 1992, 1999 and 2011. In 1992 in Adelaide, a rain-affected match saw India setting a target of 181 for South Africa to chase down. And they did by six wickets and five balls to spare.
In 1999, India batted first again at Brighton with Sourav Ganguly scoring a memorable 97 before he was run out by Jonty Rhodes—now South Africa’s fielding coach. South Africa had to chase down 254 runs and in-form Jacques Kallis’ 96 ensured they did.
In 2011, India set a target of 297 for South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar’s century went to waste as the opponents’ team produced three 50s (Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith and A.B. de Villiers) as they went on to win the match by three wickets and two balls remaining.
2.Shikhar Dhawan became the third Indian score an ODI 100 at the MCG after Sourav Ganguly and Rohit Sharma (both their tons came against Australia). Dhawan also broke the record for the highest score against South Africa in the World Cup by an individual—New Zealand’s Stephen Fleming’s 134 not out in 2003 was the previous record . A record that remained intact however was that the Indian side has never lost a game when Dhawan scored a century.
3.No ODI team has made 300 while batting second at the MCG. The closest anyone’s ever got there was in 2001 when the West Indies made 299 against Australia and lost. The highest South Africa has ever reached while batting second at this venue was a winning 272 against Australia in 2009.
4.According to a tweet by sports statistician Mohandas Menon, with this win, India have won against all 15 opponents they have faced in the World Cup with most wins (seven) coming against Zimbabwe.
5.130 runs: this is the biggest World Cup win against South Africa by any team. The second biggest margin of victory rests with the Australians who won by 83 runs against the Proteas in the West Indies in 2007.
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