Indian skipper Virat Kohli (160*) stuck a majestic ton while the wrist spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav (4/23) and Yuzvendra Chahal (4/26) spun a web around the hosts as the visitors thrashed South Africa by 124 runs in the 3rd ODI.
The staggering victory at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town on wednesday helped India take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 6-match series. Fantastic Kohli was on top of his game as he helped his side post 303/6 in 50 overs. The hosts were bundled out for a paltry 179 in return after another disappointing show with the bat.
STAT ATTACK:
- Kohli went past Sourav Ganguly (127 in Johannesburg in 2001) in the list of highest individual score by an Indian batsman against the hosts in South Africa.
- Kohli smashed his 2nd ton of the series.
- The skipper also registered his 34th ODI career ton.
Man or machine? @imVkohli gets to his 34th ODI ton. Stand up and salute the master #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/LYnYT8k6Bx
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 7, 2018
Spinners dent Proteas hope
Chasing a daunting target of 304, the hosts were off to the worst start possible as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Hashim Amla (1) in the second over of the innings itself. That brought JP Duminy on to the crease and along with skipper Aiden Markram.
The duo helped the side fightback and got them in a strong position as they kept hitting boundaries here and there and took the score past the 50-run mark without any further hiccups. Then India’s wrist spinners came into the attack and that ploy worked wonders for the visitors. Kuldeep Yadav got Aiden Markram with a googly and MS Dhoni effected the easiest of stumpings.
The former skipper became the first India wicket-keeper to effect 400 dismissals (fourth overall).
.@msdhoni becomes the first Indian wicket-keeper to effect 400 dismissals in ODIs! pic.twitter.com/TSnCNk26wx
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 7, 2018
Last match’s hero Yuzvendra Chahal was the next to snap a wicket as he got rid of debutant Heinrich Klaasen for 6. On the other hand, the veteran Duminy held the innings from one end as he completed his 25th ODI fifty. But soon after reaching that milestone, Duminy lost his concentration and was trapped plumb LBW by Chahal.
Khaya Zondo and David Miller then got together and tried to defy the Indian bowlers. They snitched a 34-run stand before Bumrah got another wicket. All-rounder Chris Morris hit a boundary early in the innings to announce his intentions but his innings was cut short by Kuldeep.
The two wrist spinner then cleared up the tail by sharing the last four wickets as India completed a resounding victory.
Chahal: Overs 9, Runs 46, Wickets 4, Economy 5.11
Kuldeep: Overs 9, Runs 23, Wickets 4, Economy 2.56
ALSO READ: Sparkling ‘Jodi’: Is There Any Stopping India’s Wrist Spin Duo?
Kohli leads Indian charge
Earlier, put into bat, India didn’t enjoy the best of starts as opener Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the first over of the match itself as he edged a Kagiso Rabada delivery straight into the hands of debutant wicket-keeper Heinrich Klaasen.
In-form Kohli then joined southpaw Shikhar Dhawan at the crease and the duo stitched together a 140-run partnership. The duo started to deal in boundaries and took the team’s score past the 50-run mark in a short time. Dhawan was the aggressor of the two and he was first to reach his half-century, which was his 25th in ODIs.
Kohli also notched up his well-deserved fifty and at this point, the Indian innings was moving along nicely. However, the introduction of part-time spinner JP Duminy did the trick for the hosts as he broke the 140-run stand between the two by removing Dhawan for 76.
STAT ATTACK: The partnership of 140 is the second best by an Indian pair for the 2nd wicket in South AfricaÂ
Soon after Dhawan’s dismissal, Ajinkya Rahane (11) followed suit as he became Duminy’s second victim. Hardik Pandya (14) too came and went after being dismissed by Chris Morris. Kohli battled hard to bring up his hundred off 119 balls, which included just seven fours.
Meanwhile, Kohli became the first Indian batsman to score a hundred against South Africa at Newlands, as he played with great determination and patience. With partners running out, the skipper stood tall.
MS Dhoni (10) and Kedar Jadhav (1) departed in quick succession. Kohli finally found stability in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the duo put on a 63-run stand for the seventh wicket to propel India’s score to 303/6.