India vs South Africa, World Cup 2023: India will feel a sense of deja vu when they take on South Africa in Kolkata on Sunday. The battle will be at the top of the points table, with India looking to maintain their winning streak and South Africa hoping to become the second team to confirm their semi-final ticket, with the hosts wary of replicating their 2011 results. the match Virat Kohli and R Ashwin will surely be remembered as the only members of the current squad who were part of India's title triumph.In the 2011 final against South Africa in Nagpur, India lost just one match. Sachin Tendulkar scored a century before Robin Pietersen smashed Ashish Nehra for 19 to give the visitors a three-wicket victory. While South Africa have won 50 of their 90 encounters in ODI cricket, while the Men in Blue have won the remaining 47, India have been the underdog in head-to-head competition. The other three matches ended without results.

India have also trailed their opponents in terms of World Cup meetings, losing three of their five matches against South Africa but winning the last two meetings. India vs South Africa: Last Five Meetings. India have lost three of their last five matches against South Africa, three of which were part of a home series in October 2022 in which India won 2–1, the other two were away from home and the visitors were whitewashed in the three-game match. In their only World Cup meeting in India in 2011, South Africa won by three wickets with two balls to spare chasing 297 runs. Sachin Tendulkar scored 111 runs off 101 balls in that match. Run the opening stand with Virender Sehwag.

India and South Africa is the 'Boro Match' that Kolkata, Eden Gardens and the world are waiting for match

Kagiso Rabada and Virat Kohli, watch Jasprit Bumrah rekindle it against his former Mumbai Indians teammate Quinton de Kock. KL Rahul vs Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram vs Kuldeep Yadav. Hundreds of fans pushed each other to snap photos of South African cricketers disembarking from the team bus as the steel barricades at the entrance to the Eden Gardens were blown away. Fans waved banners and newspaper cutouts of Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada and chanted their names in the afternoon's excitement. Some of the South African cricketers, shocked with joy, waved them back and the assembled crowd roared with delight. “Make us happy, tomorrow too,” shouted one of the support staff members. Greater in quality than when India and Pakistan met, the frenetic fanfare made it seem like the most awaited match of the World Cup. It is a big match as South Africa take on India, who are unbeaten in seven matches. The Kolkata derby between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, the big games or the biggest game in town, the locals have a phrase called the 'Boro Match'. Boro literally means big, but the simple world contains complex layers of politics and history, passion and affection for sport. The India-South Africa game with this label is a brilliant recognition of the importance of the encounter. Can South Africa finally beat India? Can India's polished seamers neutralize the flash of South Africa's power-light batting establishment? Who will end up as leaders?But this isn't just a clash of first and second teams on the table, not to top the group stages, gain a psychological edge or pull off a statement performance ahead of the knockouts that make the game so attractive in theory. It is the rich talent pool that makes the game irreplaceable. Even if you strip away the context and backdrop, the match still has surprising stand-alone value .It's a game full of narrative and meaning; With characters and themes. No other match in the tournament can boast such a unique display of talent, catering to all types of spectators. There is the modern classic of Virat Kohli, the spunk of Rohit Sharma and Quiton de Kock; Razi van der Dussen and Shreyas Iyer's battle; the tired stroke-play of Aiden Markram and Shubman Gill; Jasprit Bumrah's unique craft, Tabriz Shamsi and Kuldeep Yadav's rare wizardry, Keshav Maharaj and Ravindra Jadeja's cool tricks; The seaming talents of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Shami. Every over, every ball, every stroke has the potential to be an event in itself. Personal conflicts are also acute - Rabada and Kohli resume their exchanges; Bumrah repeated it against his former Mumbai Indians teammate de Kock. KL Rahul against Keshav Maharaj, Markram against Kuldeep and bouncer expert Gerald Coetzee against a compelling Rahul. All the other matches look attractive; Every other cricketer seems capable of producing a match-defining performance. These are the best teams in the tournament and they could meet again in the finals. It is only fitting that Eden Gardens hosts a match of such magical quality, the most romantic venue in the country, and while it may not be the most important these days, the Eden has watched history unfold like few other stadiums in the country. South African captain Temba Bavuma also couldn't hide his excitement.