South Africa To Emerge From Elimination Showdown

India and South Africa will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals at The Oval, with the loser facing a premature exit from the competition.

Virat Kohli’s men were stunned in their last match by Sri Lanka as the Lions chased down a total of over 300 with relative ease.

Shikhar Dhawan scored an effortless century to seemingly put his side on the path to victory, despite the skipper being dismissed for a duck.

However, Sri Lanka proved their quality as a partnership of 159 between Kushal Mendis and Danushka Gunathilaka put India on the back foot.

Late hitting from Angelo Mathews and Asela Gunaratne guided the Lions over the line with eight balls to spare, meaning they are in a showdown of their own against Pakistan on Monday.

South Africa suffered the same fate as India as a woeful effort with the bat put them in trouble against Pakistan, with only an innings of 75 from David Miller saving them from humiliation.

The Proteas were reduced to 118-6 thanks to the bowling of Hasan Ali, with South Africa amassing only 219 for their 50 overs.

Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman put enough runs on the board in the Green Shirts’ reply before the rain came to secure a win via the Duckworth/Lewis method.

One quality outfit now faces the prospect of exiting the competition early, with a straight shootout taking place at The Oval.

Both sides know they will have to play their best cricket otherwise it will be end of their title hopes.

India’s Top Batsman

Dhawan has been the standout batsman for his team in the competition, notching his 10^th ODI century in the contest against Sri Lanka. He seems to thrive on English conditions, having top scored in the tournament four years ago.

He is in position to repeat the feat with 193 runs to his name thus far, although his side will need to progress to the semi-finals to beat out Joe Root and Tamim Iqbal for the honour.

The 31-year-old played the anchor role against Sri Lanka and he played it extremely well to hold the innings together following Kohli’s surprising early dismissal. Dhawan was able to shift gears towards the end of the innings before he was out for 125 going for a big strike down the ground.

Playing against a quality attack in the form of the Proteas will test his ability and India will need runs at the top of the innings to build a solid platform either setting or chasing a target.

Therefore, backing the 31-year-old to rack up the runs once again at odds of 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500  with Betfair is the option to take given the uncertainty in the rest of the unit.

Kohli had a rare failure, but that is unlikely to continue against South Africa. His side need him to respond and he usually answers the call. He will be determined to guide India into the latter stages of the tournament, having failed to reach the final in the World Twenty20 last year.

A strong performance is required, but whether it will be substantial enough for him to outscore his in-form team-mate is another matter.

South Africa’s Top Batsman

Kohli was not the only skipper to fail in his last outing as AB de Villiers was dismissed first ball against Pakistan when was caught off the bowling of Imad Wasim.

De Villiers has not been at his best during his time in England thus far – scoring well below his incredibly high standards. He was dismissed for only four against Sri Lanka, highlighting his troubles at the crease, although the Proteas won the match comfortably.

The 33-year-old needs to perform for his team to lead the way under the pressure. South Africa have failed to thrive in tense matches before and their skipper providing a strong impetus will be a sign that they can handle the occasion.

His experience in the IPL must come to the fore to deal with the diversity of India’s attack. The Oval is a large ground with space around to knock twos, while he should have no problem clearing the big boundaries due to his power at the crease.

South Africa need a performance from their leading man, and odds of 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450  with 32Red present good value for one of the world’s elite batsman to deliver for his team.

Top Bowler

India’s bowlers struggled immensely in their defeat to Sri Lanka, with the entire attack seemingly have no answers from the approach of Mendis and Gunathilaka. If they found life tough against the Lions – matters will only get worse against the Proteas.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been poor since arriving in England off his fine outings in the IPL. He was the leading wicket taker in the tournament, but has been unable to find his rhythm. He has previously thrived in English conditions, although he has not been able to capitalise this time around.

India need a better display from him this time around and even that might not be enough.

The Proteas may feel hard done by against Pakistan as the rain arrived at a time when Morne Morkel had put the pressure on. He was outstanding against the Green Shirts, taking all of the three wickets to fall for the price of just 18 runs off his seven overs.

He will be determined to expose Indians in the same manner, although the starlet in the attack may have to take centre stage. Kagiso Rabada was not quite at his best against Pakistan and was fairly underwhelming in the opener against Sri Lanka.

High expectations were placed upon the 22-year-old after he ripped through England in the final match of their ODI series against the Three Lions. He has proved that he can thrive against quality batting units and a strong performance again may be enough to see his side through.

As a result, backing him at odds of 7.50Bet €100 to win €75013/2Bet £100 to win £750+650Bet $100 to win $7506.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$7506.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp750-0.1538Bet RM100 to win RM750  with 888sport to lead the wicket column in the contest is the bet to take.

Winner

The contest should be thrilling with two quality sides battling it out for a place in the last four. Both teams know that whoever fails to get over the line will be branded a failure – therefore there will be huge pressure on each unit to deliver.

The difference could come down to the quality of bowling, which would favour the Proteas due to the depth of their attack. Both batting line-ups are fairly well balanced, with each side boasting world class players in the form of Kohli and De Villiers.

As a result, backing South Africa to emerge victorious from the Group B match at odds of 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205  with MarathonBet is the punt to take.

Tips Summary

South Africa To Beat India ICC Champions Trophy Group B
Sunday 11^th June 10:30am BST
Odds: 2.05Bet €100 to win €20521/20Bet £100 to win £205+105Bet $100 to win $2051.05Bet HK$100 to win HK$2051.05Bet Rp100 to win Rp205-0.9524Bet RM100 to win RM205

Shikhar Dhawan To Be India’s Top Batsman
Sunday 11^th June 10:30am BST
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500

AB de Villiers To Be South Africa’s Top Batsman
Sunday 11^th June 10:30am BST
Odds: 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450

Kagiso Rabada To Be Top Bowler
Sunday 11^th June 10:30am BST
Odds: 7.50Bet €100 to win €75013/2Bet £100 to win £750+650Bet $100 to win $7506.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$7506.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp750-0.1538Bet RM100 to win RM750