They must be choking!

India cruise into semis as South Africa suffer another meltdown in a big, knockout game
Rohit MahajanIn london
The South Africa team underwent a spectacular dismemberment at the Oval today, before stands heaving with India’s noisy, shouty, flag-waving, drum-beating, adoring fans. India’s clinical win in the final Group B game secured them a place in the semifinals, where they will almost certainly take on Bangladesh in Birmingham on June 15. As for South Africa, the world’s No. 1 ODI team, they go back empty-handed once again.
South Africa were bowled out for 191 in 44.3 overs on a pitch they needed at least 300 against India. The fall of Rohit Sharma early in India’s innings, for 12 off 20 balls, gave them hope — but it was a hope full of torments. The pitch wasn’t offering them much. The bowlers just didn’t have the skill, speed or turn to bother the Indians. But would Imran Tahir, the leg-spinner, make a difference? The pitch was dry and slowish, after two days of sun. Tahir didn’t prove a factor, though. India’s win was secured in a style that was both commanding and clinical.
Shikhar Dhawan smacked 78 off 83 balls, with 12 fours and one six; Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 76 off 101. The joy of the Indians in the stands was complete, the misery of the South Africans in the stands, and in the middle, was complete.
SA’s demise
Just what happened to South Africa? They got a good start. Then, inexplicably, they bogged down — and then, they lost their minds. The whole innings, they hit 11 fours (one less than Dhawan did), and one six (same as Dhawan). Just what was going on? South Africa either got their strategy wrong, or messed it up completely.
They seemed to have decided to play conservatively at the start, preserve their wickets, and then attack at the end. That’s why the left-handed opener Quinton de Kock, who normally scores at the rate of 94 runs per 100 balls, was watchful today — only four fours, and only 53 off 72 balls. Hashim Amla got 35 off 54, with only three fours and one six.
Thus, while they did add 76 for the first wicket, they used up more overs than ideal — 76 off 105 balls isn’t very impressive on a wicket that’s easy, on a cloudless, dry day, against a team that’s packed with good batsmen. Ravichandran Ashwin, back in the XI for his first match of the tournament, got Amla when the opener edged one to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.
South Africa were still in control, but they ceded ground rapidly. De Kock fell trying a sweep off Ravindra Jadeja, after escaping with a failed reverse-sweep. AB de Villiers tried to bring some urgency to the scoring then, with 16 off 12 — and then madness ensued.
SA’s decline
The South African batsmen then simply lost it. AB de Villiers is a fantastic athlete, and Inzamam-ul-Haq is no athlete — but they share one thing. Both got run out a lot — Inzamam because he’s a poor athlete and de Villiers because he’s an excellent athlete. Today was de Villiers’ 19th run out dismissal in ODIs, and today too he got out because he was over-sure about his ability to complete a run that no one else would have even contemplated. But the throw from Hardik Pandya was accurate, and even a full dive didn’t save de Villiers.
David Miller’s run out was comical — he and Faf du Plessis (36) ended up trying desperately to get to the same end. Thereafter, things unraveled rapidly. JP Duminy remained not out on 20 off 41, but the rest simply brain-faded their way out of the middle.
A damning figure: From overs 27 to 37, South Africa scored 1, 7, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2 — 36 runs, losing wickets simultaneously. There was no coming back from this. A complete disaster for them, a complete win for India.
India will almost certainly top Group B, and thus take on the No. 2 side in Group A, Bangladesh. Pakistan or Sri Lanka, the other two teams in Group B, can finish above India in the group only if they win by a very, very big margin tomorrow. India’s net run rate is +1.370, while Pakistan’s is
-1.544 and Sri Lanka’s -0.879. So, it’s almost certainly going to be India vs Bangladesh at Birmingham, June 15