India crushed South Africa by nine wickets in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at Visakhapatnam. South Africa lost an early wicket, but Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma stabilised the innings. De Kock struck a blazing century, while Bavuma supported him well and missed his half-century by just two runs. While de Kock was at the crease, South Africa looked set to cross the 350 mark. They were 199 for 4 after 32.4 overs. However, Kuldeep Yadav (4 for 41 in 10 overs) and Prasidh Krishna (4 for 66 in 9.5 overs) wreaked havoc on the batting line-up after that. As a result, South Africa was bowled out for 270 in 47.5 overs.
In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma gave India a solid and attacking start. When Rohit got out, India were cruising at 155 for 1. Virat Kohli then took charge and kept the momentum going. India comfortably chased down the target in 39.5 overs. With this win, India sealed the ODI series 2-1.
Coin flip finally turns India’s luck
KL Rahul changed his usual style and spun the coin with his left hand. As a result, India won the toss for the first time in their last 21 ODI matches. This moment ended a long streak of bad luck. After that, India backed it up with a strong nine-wicket victory. This win showed how hard they had fought to stay in the series and force a decider against South Africa, even after losing the toss in the previous two games.
Prasidh and Kuldeep turn the match
Prasidh Krishna, who had struggled earlier in the series, started India’s comeback. He dismissed Quinton de Kock after the South African batter had played a brilliant century knock. Then Kuldeep Yadav, finally bowling with a dry ball for the first time in the series, tore through the middle and lower order. Because of this, South Africa managed only 270 runs. At several stages of the innings, they had looked capable of reaching a score of 350.
Early conditions help Indian bowlers
Unlike the earlier matches, the ball moved more at the beginning and dew arrived late. Because of this, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal played cautiously at the start. Rohit guided Jaiswal and helped him settle into this new format. However, Rohit could not stay till the end to watch Jaiswal reach his first ODI century.
At the same time, the match proved it was not simply about “win the toss, win the match”. Conditions kept changing and the game swung back and forth.
Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana made excellent use of the moisture on the pitch. Ryan Rickleton opened the innings, while Aiden Markram dropped down to No. 5 because Tony de Zorzi was absent. Arshdeep got Rickleton out in the very first over. Then Rana bowled a maiden. India delivered three maiden overs in the first eight overs. Two edged boundaries from de Kock took South Africa to only 25 for 1.
De Kock and Bavuma fight back
When Prasidh came in to bowl, South Africa saw a chance to attack. De Kock hit him for two sixes in just two overs. He also played two of the best shots of the day. One was an aerial extra-cover drive for six. The other was a ground stroke for four.
Prasidh conceded 27 runs in his first two overs. Meanwhile, de Kock and Bavuma added 113 runs together. Bavuma scored 48 from 67 balls, showing how difficult the conditions still were. On the other hand, de Kock raced to 63 from just 55 balls.
By now, the pitch had settled. Matthew Breetzke then attacked the part-time spin of Tilak Varma, who was playing instead of Washington Sundar. By the end of the 26th over, the combination of Prasidh and Tilak had given away 56 runs in only five overs.
De Kock moved towards his seventh hundred against India in only 23 innings. No batter has scored more centuries against India. Also, no visiting player has ever scored more centuries in India than his seven.
Prasidh strikes back with crucial wickets
At 158 for 2, Prasidh returned for his second spell. He gave away just two runs in his first over. Then Rana came on from the other end as India searched for a breakthrough. De Kock hit a four to take South Africa past a run-a-ball for the first time.
In the next over, Breetzke tried to attack Prasidh again but misjudged the length. He was trapped lbw while playing back and across. In the same over, Markram chipped the ball to Virat Kohli at short cover and got out.
Even then, South Africa continued to attack because of their deep batting line-up. The run rate stayed high. However, de Kock misread a long half-volley from Prasidh and was dismissed for 106 from 89 balls. South Africa were 199 for 5 in 32.5 overs at that point.
Kuldeep works magic at the end
Brevis and Marco Jansen tried to keep the scoring fast. But then Kuldeep returned and created new problems. India had to bowl five overs of spin in the last 14 overs, which usually can be risky. But Kuldeep enjoyed bowling with a dry and older ball for the first time, thanks to the rule that allows bowling with only one ball after the 34th over.
Brevis and Jansen refused to play defensively. At that point, 19 balls had passed without a boundary. The extra fielder was about to go out. Realising the big shot was coming, Kuldeep kept tossing the ball wider. Both batters attempted big hits in the same over and got out.
Kuldeep took two more wickets. Only Adam Zampa has taken more four-wicket hauls than Kuldeep since Kuldeep made his debut. Finally, Prasidh cleaned up the tail and South Africa’s innings ended.
South Africa struggle for early breakthroughs
In reply, South Africa needed quick wickets to have a chance. Jansen and Ngidi found movement early. But they bowled seven wides in the first two overs. Rohit played smartly and kept India close to the required rate.
While Jaiswal found it hard to score quickly, Rohit attacked. He charged down the pitch and hit Ngidi for a six. He also chipped Keshav Maharaj for four against the spin. His trademark pull shots soon followed.
Jaiswal’s strike rate stayed around 50, but Rohit reached his 94th score of 50 or more at a run a ball. This allowed Jaiswal to settle and take his time.
Jaiswal shines in rare chance
It had not been an easy situation for Jaiswal, who replaced the injured captain Shubman Gill. In the first two ODIs, he had to attack early because India needed big scores after losing the toss. This time, he got time to build a long innings before Gill returns.
Once he reached 50 from 75 balls, he shifted gears. He reached his century in just 36 more balls. With this, he became the sixth Indian batter to score a century in all three formats of the game.
Kohli finishes the job in style
Rohit fell 25 runs short of what would have been his 34th ODI hundred. After that, Virat Kohli once again showed an improved version of his game. He increased his six count in the series to 12, which is the most he has ever hit in one series. He remained unbeaten on 65 from 45 balls.
Eventually, India won the match with more than 10 overs still remaining, sealing a dominant nine-wicket victory.