Kohli's ton, Jadeja's fifer help India hand SA their biggest ODI defeat

On his 35th birthday in one of the games iconic venues packed with the most exuberant fans Virat Kohli equalled his idol Sachin Tendulkars record of most ODI centuries with his 49th hundred laying the foundation for Indias 243run pummelling of South Africa in the World Cup on SundayThis perhaps was written in the starsEntering the Eden Gardens after a run of seven successive wins by his team Kohli was up against an inform and ambitious South African side seeking to shed the chokers tag and win its maiden World Cup titleBut by the time the game got over South Africa were left bruised and battered after being bowled out for 83 in 271 overs as India consolidated its top place in the pecking order with Kohli finally matching Tendulkar after the whole country waited for weeks in anticipationAttempting to steel the thunder from Kohli was Ravindra Jadeja who ended with excellent figures of 533Set an imposing target of 327 after Kohlis 121ball 101 not out Shreyas Iyers fluent 87ball 77 and some fireworks towards the end by Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja the Proteas crumbled like a pack of cardsIndia captain Rohit Sharma also deserves special mention for his 24ball 40 putting South Africa on the back foot straightaway with his attacking intentWhen the Proteas turn to bat came the pitch remained pretty much the same but the Indian bowling was again at a different level altogether running through the side with the same relentlessness and potency they have been doing through the tournamentSouth Africa were in dire straits in no time tottering at 405 and then 677 as India had the match all wrapped upAlso ReadVirat Kohli the most complete batsman in modern eraThe menacing pace trio of Jasprit Bumrah Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami was once again on the money before star allrounder Jadeja did the star turn with his turn bounce and accuracyNot content with his cameo with the bat 29 off 15 balls Jadeja got the ball to behave in whichever way he wanted it to and finished with fine figuresThe first to go was the infrom Quinton de Kock who got an inside edge against Siraj after smashing him for a boundaryLosing De Kock was a big blow for the South Africans and skipper Temba Bavuma too fell cheaply to continue his quest for one substantial knock in the showpiece bowled by a beautiful turning delivery from JadejaSouth Africa were three down inside the powerplay as Shami with a good length ball that jagged away off the seam induced an edge from Aiden Markram and KL Rahul completed a low catchRassie van der Dussen thought he was saved when Shamis loud appeal for an lbw failed to impress the onfield umpire but the Indian seamer and his wicketkeeping colleague Rahuls decision to review was vindicated when the technology showed that the ball would go on to hit the middle and leg stumpAlso ReadDown the memory laneSouth Africa bat deep but Jadeja meanwhile snared Heinrich Klaasen 1 and David Miller 11 to inch closer to a massive win which was achieved when Kuldeep Yadav bowled Lungi NgidiThe match was over in South Africas 28th over and with a lot of time still left to playEarlier the setting was ideal for Kohli to equal Tendulkars record after missing the magic threefigure mark more than once in the tournamentHe was dismissed for 95 and 88 against New Zealand and Sri Lanka but the Indian runmachine did not disappoint the ecstatic full house at the Eden GardensThe monkey was finally off his back in the 49th over when Kohli gently pushed Kagiso Rabada for a single The century came off 119 balls with 10 fours showing that Kohli toiled hard for his runsFor Kohli the milestone ton came in 277 innings while Tendulkar had brought up his 49th ODI century in 452 innings A comparison though is not fair considering the different playing conditions in the two erasThe relief was evident as he took his helmet off kissed his bat and saluted the crowd that gave him a standing ovationRohit went about his business in his own inimitable style while Shubhman Gill 23 off 24 was cautious as the two provided a flying start to the hosts after electing to batIyer played the perfect foil for Kohli before Jadeja played a crucial role in taking India past the 300run markBarring Keshav Maharaj who bowled his full quota at a stretch no other bowler could create an impact on an Eden wicket that became slower as the game progressed and aided spinAt a venue where he scored the ODI world record score of 264 Rohit smashed bowlers all around the park before Bavumas terrific catch at midoff halted his inningsRohit smashed Rabada powerfully through covers but the South Africa skipper held firmly to the ball in front of his eyesIndias turbocharged start by Rohit was halted by Kagiso Rabadas wicketmaiden first over and Maharaj produced a classical leftarm spin to remove the inform Gill With inputs from agencies