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South Africa’s Faf du Plessis hugged his captain Graeme Smith following their team’s victory over India, as Sachin Tendulkar stood in the background.

Who said 50-overs cricket is dead? This is fast becoming the best World Cup ever, although that’s little consolation to India, who threw away a great chance to beat key rival South Africa after Sachin Tendulkar had got the hosts off to a flying start with yet another century.
The match billed as the biggest of the tournament so far – two cricketing powerhouses with realistic aspirations for the title – didn’t disappoint, culminating in a nerve-wracking finale with South Africa needing 13 runs from the last over.
Cometh the hour, cometh the unlikely figure of Robin Peterson, who swatted Ashish Nehra for six and a four through covers to win it for South Africa and silence the home crowd. Maybe it would’ve been different if India’s captain Mahendra Donhi had asked the threatening Harbhajan Singh to bowl, but India shouldn’t dwell on that as its troubles stemmed from elsewhere – middle-order batting.
India’s batting performance was so bipolar it made Dr. Jekyl look like a well-balanced and rounded individual. Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir got the match roaring into life with some spectacular shots and at one stage the hosts were on 267 for 1, but then India let South Africa right back into contention with a horrific batting collapse in which it surrendered nine wickets in as many overs, scoring just 29 runs.
Dale Steyn was key to South Africa’s revival, ending with 5 for 50, after being on 0 for 32. By crumbling so meekly, India took its foot off South Africa’s throat and relinquished the advantage that Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir had fought so hard for.
That’s a shame, particularly for Tendulkar, who scored 111 for a record sixth World Cup century and the 99th of his career. That century of centuries will surely come in the next few weeks, and nobody would begrudge him that.
His opening partner Sehwag is also a treat to watch, even if his risky play often leaves you with heart in mouth. Sehwag is in belligerent mood this World Cup and once again started his innings with a four, maintaining his wonderful record of hitting a boundary from his first ball in every match this tournament.
He got an early reprieve when he edged a Morne Morkel delivery behind, but South African wicket-keeper Morne van Wyk stayed rooted to the spot rather than stretching to his right for what could have been a fairly routine catch.
After that let-off, both Sehwag and Tendulkar set upon the opposition bowling with such a spectacularly brutal assault they were in danger of finding themselves in The Hague for crimes against the nation of South Africa. The capacity crowd, Bollywood starlets and all, was in raptures as the two Indian openers racked up 100 in just 71 balls.
At this rate it looked like India would go on to score close to 400, and Gambhir did little to change that prospect when he came in and joined in the fun, getting his 50 just moments after Tendulkar had reached his century.
Their performance had left the South Africans so demoralized it looked like they’d spent the last couple of hours having their faces slapped with a fish. But then came the Indian collapse, and hope returned.
The Proteas never looked truly comfortable chasing India’s total of 297, but with several players desperate to make amends for the loss to England in Chennai, they had enough grit and determination to get through the challenge.
Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers were particularly impressive – the latter is having a great tournament – and kept the South Africans in the game long enough for Peterson to come in and deal India the final, painful blow.
Defeat isn’t the end of the world for India. The Men in Blue will be chastened by the result, but it could prove to be a valuable lesson for this World Cup and prompt them to search for that killer instinct before it’s too late.
For now South Africa has won the bragging rights, but India is more than capable of winning them back.

Fuente: India Real Time