Impressed by India's clinical performance against South Africa, former cricket captain Sourav Ganguly said the Proteas have not been outplayed like this in a "long long time" and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side can gain a lot of courage from such a display.
"I don't remember South Africa being outplayed like this in a long long time," Ganguly, who is part of the Star Sports commentary panel, told PTI post India's 130-run victory against South Africa in their second pool game of the World Cup.
"The moment India past 250 run mark, I was confident India will win," he said.
The famed South African batting order collapsed like a house of cards to be bundled for 177 in 40.2 overs against a disciplined Indian attack. Ganguly said getting Hashim (22) Amla and AB de Villiers (30) was the key.
"It was crucial to get Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers out early as South Africa lacked depth in their batting. Wayne Parnell and Vernon Philander at number 7 and 8 meant South Africa didn't have enough depth in their batting and it cost them dearly," Ganguly said.
With this victory, India have now successfully ended their run of defeats against South Africa in the 50-over showpiece event. The table-toppers will now travel to Perth to take on UAE in search of their third consecutive victory in this edition.