South African pacer Marco Jansen had a challenging start in their World Cup 2023 encounter against India at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Jansen struggled with his line and length, delivering a total of 10 balls in his first over, with just 6 of them being legal. His over included 4 wide deliveries, one of which was a five-wides, and he missed his line by a significant margin while attempting to swing the ball both ways.
In his opening over, Jansen managed to induce an outside edge off Rohit Sharma, but it didn't find the slip cordon's hands. His efforts to avoid bowling too straight to Rohit Sharma led to a wayward second delivery, followed by a wide down the leg side that resulted in five wides. Jansen's next delivery was another wide on the off-side as he overcompensated. The following ball, flying past wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock, was stopped by Aiden Markram at first slip to prevent a boundary.
Jansen's first over proved to be challenging, conceding a total of 17 runs, and he appeared unsettled by the high-stakes atmosphere of the top-of-the-table clash in the World Cup 2023. Remarkably, it became the longest over bowled by a South African bowler in an ODI World Cup match.
Despite his challenging start in the match, Jansen had been South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the tournament, accumulating 16 wickets in the preceding seven matches. He had particularly excelled during the powerplay, claiming 12 wickets within the first 10 overs of matches.
However, in the Kolkata match against India, Jansen was taken to task by Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, who launched an assault on his bowling, exerting immense pressure on the left-arm pacer. Rohit Sharma played a key role in India's strong start, accumulating 40 runs from just 24 balls, featuring 6 boundaries and 2 sixes, as he demonstrated his intent to go after the new-ball bowlers.
Kagiso Rabada, South Africa's most experienced pacer, secured the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma when the Indian captain edged a delivery straight into the hands of cover fielder Temba Bavuma. The birthday boy, Virat Kohli, walked in to bat to a resounding ovation from the Eden Gardens crowd after Rohit's dismissal.
India and South Africa had both secured berths in the World Cup semi-finals, and their encounter was a battle for the top position in the points table, adding even more significance to the match.
Marco Jansen's challenging first over, followed by Rohit Sharma's attacking start and Kohli's arrival on his birthday, set the stage for an enthralling match at the historic Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
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