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South Africa's Keshav Maharaj cleaned up Shubman Gill with a beauty in his very first over in the 2023 World Cup clash against India on Sunday (November 5). Gill, who had struck a few boundaries earlier at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was left in disbelief as the ball struck the top of off-stump.
The dismissal occurred in the 11th over of the innings as Proteas captain Temba Bavuma brought on one of his frontline spinners to control the flow of runs. Left-armer Maharaj delivered a stock ball on the leg stump and the ball produced a fair bit of turn to beat the right-hander and hit the top of the stumps.
An umpire's review followed to confirm that the disturbance to the bails was caused by the ball and it was concluded that that was indeed the case. Gill walked back for 23 off 24 balls.
You can watch a clip of the dismissal below:
Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat first in a clash involving the only two teams to have already secured their semi-final berths. The Proteas confirmed their place on Saturday, November 4, after Pakistan beat New Zealand in a rain-affected encounter.
South Africa have been exceptional while batting first in this tournament, but will face a stern challenge while chasing a total against India.
Kagiso Rabada got the first breakthrough before Keshav Maharaj burst through Shubman Gill's defence
South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada got the first breakthrough after India had raced to 61 from their first five overs.
Captain Rohit Sharma holed out to mid-off, trying to hit a boundary as Temba Bavuma held on to a sharp catch. The explosive opener had done considerable damage before his departure, though, striking six fours and a couple of maximums in his 22-ball 40.
Keshav Maharaj then slowed down the run rate, conceding just 21 runs from his eight overs at the time of writing. At the halfway point of the innings, India were 143/2 with Virat Kohli (42 off 56) and Shreyas Iyer (24 off 46) at the crease.
The match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata is monumental, mainly due to Kohli's 35th birthday and he will be keen to make the occasion count. The Proteas have only lost to the Netherlands in this tournament and a victory against India will give them a massive boost ahead of the semi-finals.
