Team India registered a massive nine-wicket win over South Africa in the third ODI in Vizag, which helped them pocket the series 2-1. Chasing a target of 271, Yashasvi Jaiswal's unbeaten century (, along with half-centuries from senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, ensured that Team India successfully chased down South Africa’s total with more than 10 overs to spare.
KL Rahul hails Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav's top-notch spells
As expected, India's stand-in captain was delighted after the comprehensive result. He specifically credited fast bowler Prasidh Krishna and ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav for tilting the tide of the game in India’s favour during the middle and later stages of the South African innings.
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Indian captain KL Rahul praised the impact of both bowlers, identifying them as the 'turning point' of the match. Rahul highlighted how Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav were crucial in hampering South Africa's run flow by taking important wickets throughout the second half of the visitors' innings.
“With teams like South Africa who go really hard, it can easily become a 380-400 game, or they can end up playing one shot too many. We managed to squeeze well in the middle overs – Prasidh Krishna coming back with that spell and picking two or three was massive, and then Kuldeep getting two in one over really shifted the game,” Rahul said in the post-match presentation.
Rahul also identified a specific moment as pivotal, stating his belief that the wicket of centurion and well-set opener Quinton de Kock, claimed by Prasidh Krishna, was instrumental in tilting the tide of the game in India's favour.
“In ODI cricket, that’s the only real way to stop momentum, and you have to take wickets. Quinton de Kock was definitely a huge wicket. The way he was batting - when he got out, he was already past 100, and it showed how tough the wicket was for new batters coming in. Removing him at that stage really opened the door for us,” he further stated.
Finally, the 33-year-old hailed his team's fighting spirit that was on display throughout all three games, especially considering how South African batters regularly attempted to put India on the back foot with their belligerent style of batting.
“What makes me happiest about this series is how we handled pressure. In all three games, their batters walked in with intent and tried to put us on the back foot, but the way our bowlers kept their nerve and stuck to their plans was outstanding. One result didn’t go our way earlier, but we still believed in the processes, and today everything came together. So yeah, really pleased with the effort and happy things fell into place, including the toss,” he signed off.