After South Africa and Sri Lanka piled on a combined 754 runs on a six-lane expressway of a surface, at a run-rate of nearly 8 runs an over throughout the game, the spectators would have been left wondering whether they were watching a T20 game or an ODI encounter.
The boundary count boggles—the stadium witnessed 74 fours and 31 sixes, three South batsmen scored hundreds at breakneck pace. So much so that it looked like Kotla was an Instagram app, and the sixes and fours were like watching reels, one after another.
The pre-winter ODI evening had a midsummer IPL-night feel. Perhaps, the batsmen, most of them IPL regulars, too thought as much and tucked in. Spectators, of course love, boundaries that rolled off every sixth ball of the match. Bowlers could do nothing much, other than curse their wretched luck.
Only two maidens were bowlers, one each by Kasun Rajitha and Lungi Ngidi. The most economical bowler was Dasun Shanaka, and he conceded six an over. The surface neither swung nor spun. Hardly any ball misbehaved. It was quick and sufficiently bouncy, but not quick or bouncy enough to trouble batsmen. It was as though the pitch was accidentally prepared for an IPL game.
It could be the recurring theme in most venues, barring a few. In the opening match New Zealand had effortlessly hunted down England’s 282 in merely 36.2 overs. Despite sloppy batting, Pakistan put on 286 against the Netherlands. The game in Dharmsala apart, this has been a batsmen’s tournament. And it could turn out to be the one for batsmen.
South Africa’s batsmen accepted the placid surface and the lightning-quick outfield with glee. Quinton de Kock slammed 100 off 84 balls, the silken Aiden Markram blasted 106 off mere 54 balls; by their standards, Rassie van der Dussen registered an exceedingly slow 108 off 110 balls.
Show-stealer Markram
Markram was the show-stealer. Walking out to bat in the 31st over with South Africa already in a strong position, courtesy a 204-run second-wicket partnership between de Kock (100 off 84 balls) and van der Dussen. Justifying claims that he is the heir apparent to AB de Villiers, AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis, he produced a knock that stood out both power and grace, timing and aggression.