India defeatd South Africa by nine wickets in IND vs SA 3rd ODI to clinch IND vs SA ODI series 2-1 in Visakhapatnam, riding on Yashasvi Jaiswal’s (116) brilliant century and solid half-centuries from Virat Kohli (65*) and Rohit Sharma (75).
Chasing 270, the hosts completed the job comfortably, with the bowling unit – led by Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna – setting up the win by bundling South Africa out for 270 earlier in the day.
India finally enjoyed some luck with the toss after two tight matches, and the batting conditions in the second innings were noticeably better.
Jaiswal and Rohit began cautiously, showing patience against the new ball before shifting gears. Rohit unleashed his trademark pull shots and appeared set for a century before being dismissed by Maharaj.
Virat Kohli then joined Jaiswal, and the pair ensured there were no hiccups in the chase. After reaching his fifty, Jaiswal switched to a more aggressive mode and brought up a well-deserved maiden hundred. Kohli, too, looked fluent and might have pushed for three figures had the target been stiffer, but the duo comfortably guided India home.
Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav wreak havoc
India had earlier dismissed South Africa for 270, thanks largely to superb spells from Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav, who claimed four wickets each. Prasidh justified the backing of captain KL Rahul and head coach Gautam Gambhir, bouncing back strongly after an erratic beginning to break through the Proteas’ middle order.
For South Africa, Quinton de Kock stood out once again, top-scoring with a fluent 106.
Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.
South Africa (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Matthew Breetzke, Aiden Markram, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman.
