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India registered an emphatic nine-wicket win over South Africa in the third and final ODI to seal the three-match series 2-1, thanks to a maiden century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli's crucial fifties and Kuldeep Yadav's sizzling four-fer.
India rode on Kuldeep Yadav's four-fer and Prasidh Krishna's three-fer to restrict South Africa to 271. In reply, Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden ODI ton (116 off 121), Rohit Sharma's 75 off 73 and Virat Kohli's 65 off 45 completed India's chase with 10.1 overs to spare.
The chase was headlined by Yashasvi Jaiswal's maiden ODI century, which was complemented by classy half-centuries from veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, capping off a strong series for the senior batters. In fact, Kohli was comfortably the best batter on show, finishing the three-match series with two centuries and one fifty. Rohit, who had started the series with a half-century in Ranchi, concluded it with another fifty, and notably surpassed the 20,000-run mark in international cricket during the innings.
It was Jaiswal, however, who displayed the hunger and had the time to go on and convert his start into his first ODI hundred. After a slightly scratchy beginning, the young southpaw grew in confidence to produce a well-paced knock. The aggressive intent and support provided by Rohit early on allowed Jaiswal to gradually settle into the game. Furthermore, the absence of high scoreboard pressure meant the hosts could afford to take their time in comfortably pursuing the target.
Ultimately, India successfully chased the target with more than ten overs and nine wickets to spare. Kohli continued his excellent form from Ranchi and Raipur, stroking the ball with the same effortless grace he is known for. This series showcased Kohli operating at his peak white-ball batting ability, and there was a noticeable urge to increase his strike rate without compromising on his technical fundamentals. As Jaiswal motored past his hundred, Kohli elegantly breezed past yet another ODI fifty to seal the comprehensive victory.
South Africa will undoubtedly regret their batting performance, especially since Quinton de Kock's masterful hundred (106) had initially put them on course for a total in the vicinity of 340-350, if not more. After a couple of previous failures, de Kock was in fluent form, bringing up his century off just 80 balls. Despite building a strong foundation at the top, the tourists failed to consolidate and capitalize during the crucial middle overs. De Kock shared a vital 113-run partnership for the second wicket with skipper Temba Bavuma (48), who was content to play a supporting role. These efforts put the visitors on track for a huge total, following the early dismissal of Ryan Rickelton in the first over. Even after Bavuma fell to Ravindra Jadeja, de Kock added another 54 runs for the third wicket with Matthew Breetzke, keeping the Proteas’ momentum alive.
However, the innings completely derailed for South Africa once de Kock was dismissed by an excellent delivery from Prasidh Krishna. Just before taking de Kock's wicket, Prasidh had also removed the in-form Breetzke and Aiden Markram cheaply. This proved to be the game-defining phase, as India staged a sensational comeback to completely strangle their opponents. Kuldeep Yadav ensured that the dangerous lower-order hitters like Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch could not replicate their hitting prowess from the previous two games. Consequently, South Africa collapsed from a comfortable position of 168-2 to fold for just 270, with 13 balls still remaining in the innings. Given the impending arrival of dew in the second half, the result seemed like a foregone conclusion at the halfway mark.
South Africa's only realistic chance lay in grabbing early wickets with the new ball. However, openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma swiftly quashed that hope by compiling a century stand of 155. The scoring was cautious in the first ten overs, yielding only 48 runs, but the pair gradually accelerated, dismantling the bowling attack. Rohit eventually departed in his aggressive attempt to maintain the high scoring rate, but Jaiswal and Kohli then added an unbroken 116 runs together, wrapping up the game and the series in emphatic style.
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