"We don't preplan anything. We just assess and play accordingly" - Rohit Sharma after India's win

Team India registered a convincing win over South Africa in the 37th match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India won the toss and opted to bat. Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 101 and India managed to post 326 runs in 50 overs.

While chasing, South Africa could only manage 83 runs before getting all out, courtesy of a fifer from Ravindra Jadeja and India registered a win by 243 runs as well.

See also: “It’s crucial that we don’t worry about external factors and just look at things we can control” – Rohit Sharma

Who said what after the match?

Rohit Sharma: “If you look at how we have played in the last three games, we have adapted better. We were put under pressure against England. But we got a decent score and then the seamers did the job. We lost a wicket in the first over. Then got runs and then the seamers did well. We needed Kohli to go out there and play the situation. We then knew we had to keep it in the right areas and let the pitch do the rest. [on Shreyas Iyer] Even if the faith hadn’t been repaid, I would have still stuck to them. We need to keep the trust. It can’t be done every day. For Shami to come back the way he has, shows the mindset.

The last two games have shown what Iyer is capable of. Gill and myself have been batting together for the majority of the time now. We let our instincts take over. We don’t preplan anything. We just assess and play accordingly. Jadeja has been very good for us. Playing in every format over the years. Today was a classical case as to what Jadeja is for us. Came out at the death and scored vital runs. Then picked up wickets. He knows his role and knows what the expectations are from him. Not to get too ahead of ourselves has been the talk in the dressing room. A couple of big games coming up. We don’t want to change anything.”

Temba Bavuma: “We know it’s a challenge. We have lost chasing. We had had our conversations with our batters. They got 90 in the first 10 overs. We did well after that. It brought down the run rate. Sharma kind of set it up. Kohli and Iyer had a good partnership. The wicket played the way we suspected it well. We were not able to adapt, unfortunately. Potentially, we might play again here in the semis.”

Virat Kohli, who won the Player of the Match said: “It was a big game, probably playing the toughest team in the tournament. There was a motivation to do well. Because it happened on my birthday, it became special and the people made it more special for me. I did wake up with that excitement that today is not just another game. People from the outside look at the game in a bit of a different way. When the openers start well, it feels like it is a belter and everyone has to play that way. But as the ball got older, the conditions slowed down drastically. The message was clear, keep batting around me.

I was happy from that perspective. Once we got more than 315, we knew that we were above par. I’m enjoying myself, playing cricket all over again, which is more important to me than phases. I’m just happy that God has blessed me with that enjoyment. I’m just happy that I’m being able to do what I have done over all these years. (On Sachin’s message) It is all too much for me to take in now, to equal my hero’s record is something special for me. He is perfection when it comes to batting. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I know where I come from, I know the days I have watched him on TV. Just to get that appreciation from him means a lot to me.”