Rohit Sharma fell early in the run chase, but Shikhar Dhawan maintained his excellent form, making 78 as he and Kohli added 128 runs for the second wicket.
De Villiers was less than impressed with his side's performance, and said: "Not an ideal way to finish". The Indian team and Kohli, in particular, will be keen to ensure that South Africa are continued to be known as "chokers".
Bumrah stepped up as a new ball bowler admirably after India opted for off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in place of pacer Umesh Yadav against the South Africans.
India's failure to defend 321 in their seven wicket defeat against Sri Lanka on Thursday had forced them into this sudden death clash, shaking Kohli's faith in his bowlers.
The Indian captain said, "The opportunity comes your way, you have to grab it".
Two quick run-out dismissals - of AB de Villiers (16) and David Miller (1) in the 29th and 30th overs, respectively - saw South Africa reduced to 142/4.
"Our bowlers bowled really well and the fielders backed it up". We just want to take one game at a time.
It was a needless mistake indicative of South Africa's malaise and Faf du Plessis was next to perish, for 36, after failing to read Pandya's slower ball.
Nadal wins 10th French Open title
If he does so next year, his 11 titles would match what Margaret Court accomplished at the Australian Open in the 1960s and 70s. Wawrinka is no slouch; he owns three major titles, including one from Roland Garros , and had never lost a Grand Slam final.
When Shikhar was picked in India's squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2017, many questions were raised by fans, media and pundits.
"It's my first trip in England and the wickets are the white ball has not been swinging much".
India join England and Bangladesh in the semi-finals, with the remaining place in the last four going to the victor of Monday's Group B meeting between Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
De Villiers, who confirmed that he will play in the 2019 World Cup, credited India and called them the better team on the day.
Kohli and Yuvraj Singh (23*) ensured India reach the winning score of 193 runs and help their side capture their seat in the semi-finals. They put a lot of pressure on us. "It was an important game for us".
That brought De Villiers to the crease as he looked to bounce back from a golden duck against Pakistan - the maiden first ball failure of his long and successful ODI career.
Their captain Virat Kohli played down the significance of South Africa's reputation for under-performing in big games. We wanted to be calm and execute our plans. "A good toss to win, chasing has been relatively easier".
The captain of South Africa came to the Champions Trophy believing his side had enough ammunition to end their 19-year trophy drought, saying "I got a good feeling about this one".
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