3 player battles to watch out for in India vs South Africa match of 2023 World Cup ft. Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada

Having already sealed qualification to the semifinals, India and South Africa will lock horns at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 5 in what could be a dress rehearsal for the 2023 World Cup final.

Arguably the two best teams in the competition, both India and South Africa are set to face their sternest test yet. A win for the hosts could seal top spot in the league phase, while the Proteas would want to have a win over the Men in Blue to carry on their incredible juggernaut.

With some incredible world-class players on both sides, the game is bound to produce some intriguing match-ups. On that note, let's take a look at the three battles that could decide who takes the honors away from the Eden Gardens on Sunday:

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#3 Quinton de Kock vs Jasprit Bumrah

Quinton de Kock is arguably in the form of his life, ironically in a format from which he will be retiring after the tournament. In seven matches, he has scored a staggering 545 runs at a stupendous average of 77.85, with as many as four centuries to his name.

He has been one of the main reasons why the Proteas have comfortably qualified for the semifinals, and India will need to get the big fish early to have control in the South African innings. Jasprit Bumrah has dismissed De Kock five times in international cricket and also has a decent record in ODIs.

In 109 balls that Bumrah has bowled to De Kock in ODIs, the southpaw has scored just 65 runs and has also been dismissed twice. Having formerly played for the same IPL franchise, Bumrah might have bowled a lot to De Kock in the nets. That could have helped the players understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

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#2 Virat Kohli vs Keshav Maharaj

It will be a special occasion for star Indian batter Virat Kohli as he celebrates his 35th birthday on Sunday. The expectations from the fans would be to see the great man equal Sachin Tendulkar's record for the most ODI hundreds on his birthday. However, Kohli will need to be careful against Keshav Maharaj.

The former Indian captain has struggled against left-arm spin since 2020 in ODIs, having been dismissed a staggering nine times. He has also been dismissed twice by Maharaj in ODIs, scoring just 36 runs off 60 balls faced from the spinner. It will be interesting to see how Kohli deals with this particular match-up.

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#1 Rohit Sharma vs Kagiso Rabada

Indian captain Rohit Sharma had a rare failure against Sri Lanka as he was dismissed for just 4 in the previous game. However, he is returning to a venue that has fetched him incredible success as a batter. It was at the Eden Gardens where Rohit smashed a record-breaking 264, and he has been pretty vocal about the feel-good factor he gets at the venue.

The Proteas need to dismiss the veteran opener early and have a match-up in Kagiso Rabada. The speedster has conceded 131 runs in the 158 balls that he has bowled to Rohit in ODIs. However, he has also dismissed the Indian captain four times in the format and a notable 11 times in international cricket.

With Rohit Sharma playing an attacking brand of cricket in powerplay, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top between the duo.