On the back of a stellar bowling display and a terrific batting performance from Tony de Zorzi, South Africa defeated India by eight wickets in the second ODI at St George's Park in Gqeberha on December 19. As a result, the Proteas levelled the series at 1-1 with just one more ODI remaining to be played. Chasing a lowly target of 212 runs, Aiden Markram's men raced to victory with 45 balls to spare.
Opener de Zorzi and Reeza Hendricks gave their team the perfect start as the duo combined for a 130-run opening partnership. Hendricks scored a well-crafted half-century before he was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh for 52 runs off 81 balls.
The 26-year-old de Zorzi capitalised on his start and managed to take his side to the finish line along with scoring a century in the process. With the help of nine fours and six sixes, de Zorzi remained not out on 119 runs off 122 balls and finished the game with a six.
Rassie van der Dussen chipped in with 36 runs before he was dismissed by Rinku Singh.
Earlier, South Africa made a remarkable comeback to bowl out India for 211. Opener B Sai Sudharsan and skipper KL Rahul were the standout performers for India, hitting impressive half-centuries. Sudharsan crafted a skillful 83-ball 62, adorned with seven boundaries and a six. Rahul, on the other hand, scored a brisk 64-ball 56, featuring seven boundaries. The duo forged a crucial 68-run partnership for the third wicket, providing some stability to the Indian innings.
However, their efforts were overshadowed as South Africa's bowlers, led by the exceptional Nandre Burger (3/30 in 10 overs), made significant inroads into the Indian batting lineup. The South African seamers exploited the conditions at St George's Park effectively, with Burger delivering a standout performance. His pace and bounce troubled the Indian batsmen, leading to regular dismissals and restricting India to 211 in 46.2 overs.
The Indian innings had a shaky start, with Ruturaj Gaikwad falling early. Sudharsan, along with Tilak Varma, managed to withstand the initial pressure, but the latter soon succumbed to Burger's bouncer. The introduction of spinner Keshav Maharaj (2/51 in 10 overs) saw Sudharsan slog-sweeping him for a six, marking his second consecutive fifty in the series.
Rahul, initially watchful, unleashed his prowess with a series of boundaries. However, the partnership was broken by Lizaad Williams, leading to a middle-order collapse. Sanju Samson and debutant Rinku Singh made brief appearances but couldn't capitalize. Eventually, India's innings folded with Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh adding some late runs, pushing the score past 200.
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