Aiden Markram came out all guns blazing and led from the front at the top of the order. Aiden Markram had a point to prove and looked a determined lot and point a prove he did as South Africa won the contest in the end. India batted first after losing the toss and rode on centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli to post 358/5 in 50 overs with KL Rahul also scoring a quickfire 66 off 43 balls. Marco Jansen picked up two wickets.
In reply, it was the Aiden Markram show as his superlative ton set the stage for South Africa to get home. But he was ably supported by Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis both scored superb half-centuries while Temba Bavuma made 46. Corbin Bosch played the role of the finisher as he scored an unbeaten 29 off 15 balls as Arshdeep Singh bowled well under pressure as he picked up 2/54 in 10 overs, The series is level at 1-1 with one to play.
Ruturaj Gaikwad & Virat Kohli ton powers India to 358/5.Â
Put into bat first after losing their 20th toss in ODIs, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma came out to open for India while Nandre Burger had ball in hand for South Africa. Jaiswal started with a boundary first up while Burger bowled and gifted wides away at will. Lungi Ngidi took the new ball from the other end and even he sprayed it around. Jaiswal started things off while Rohit took his time and got himself in.
Rohit played his shots like he does as India got off to a quick start and South Africa gave them easy runs. The first partnership was worth 40 runs inside 5 overs before Rohit was the first man to depart for 14 off 8 balls with 3 fours to his name. It was a rare failure for Rohit in recent times. The man in form Virat Kohli came out to bat next. Jaiswal struggled in his stay at the crease but still managed to hit a six in his innings. Virat too got off the mark with a majestic six over deep backward square leg.
The duo added 22 runs for the second wicket before Jaiswal fell once again to the left arm pace bowler as Marco Jansen got his man as the short ball was easily taken by Corbin Bosch as Jaiswal made 22 off 38 balls with 2 fours and 1 six to his name. Ruturaj Gaikwad came out to bat next and got off the mark with a lucky boundary as the ball hit his gloves and lobbed away over the keeper for a boundary.
The duo of Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad settled in and what followed was something really special. Gaikwad paddled Maharaj for boundaries as both the players complimented each other well. Gaikwad was the aggressor of the two and allowed Kohli to play himself in and both looked untroubled at the crease. They batted through the gears and scored runs at will.
Kohli and Gaikwad complimented each other and matched shot per shot. Kohli was powerful and hitting exquisite shots while Gaikwad was hitting it along the ground. They played the middle phase of the ODI innings really well and went from strength to strength. Both looked unstoppable as South Africa were sloppy on the field as well gifting runs as India motored along.
They played through the main overs and looked in untroubled waters. Both got to their respective 50s in the halfway stage of the game as India went way past 150 as well. Then both cut loose and never looked back as India accelerated and increased their run rate. While Kohli and Gaikwad were there, the run rate was always healthy for the Indians. Both raced to their 90s soon. Gaikwad soon hit back-to-back boundaries to get to his maiden ODI ton. He was very happy with the effort. Gaikwad soon fell for 105 off 83 balls with 12 fours and 2 sixes to his name as the mammoth 195-run stand was broken by Marco Jansen.
Captain KL Rahul came out to bat next and started quickly off the blocks by punishing the bad balls dished out by the bowlers. Soon, Virat had his moment in the sun as he reached his record extending 53rd ODI ton and 84th in international cricket and his 10th against South Africa as he was given a standing ovation by the full house crowd. Kohli too fell as he played a tired shot as he was dismissed for 102 off 93 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Washington Sundar came out to bat next and wasted deliveries as he had a muddled brain and was run out for 1 off 8 balls in the backend of the 41st over. Ravindra Jadeja joined KL Rahul in the middle. Things slowed down a tad in the initial part of the death overs. It was a combination of India not batting deep and South Africa bowling well. Jadeja took his time but he too joined in the party.
But it was the KL Rahul show as the Indian captain showed his range across the ground by playing the scoops over the keeper and all innovative but good cricketing shots. KL took everyone head on and no bowler was spared. Big overs came and followed as Rahul took down Corbin Bosch as well who bowled the last over as 18 came off the last over. India raced past 350 and finished with 358/5 in 50 overs with Rahul unbeaten on 66 off 43 balls with 6 fours and 2 sixes to his name while Jadeja was unbeaten on 24 off 27 balls with 2 fours to his name. 24 extras given by South Africa.
Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers for South Africa with figures of 2/63 in 10 overs. Lungi Ngidi bowled well for his 1/51 in 10 overs while Nandre Burger walked off the field injured and finished with 1/43 in 6.1 overs. Keshav Maharaj bowled 10 overs and gave away 70 runs while Corbin Bosch bowled 8 overs for 79 runs. Aiden Markram bowled 5.5 overs for 48 runs. This meant South Africa needed 359 to win the match and level the series 1-1.
Aiden Markram’s magical ton alongside contributions from other players takes South Africa over the line.Â
Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock came out to bat for South Africa while Arshdeep Singh had ball in hand for India. Markram and de Kock started decently with de Kock getting two boundaries away early on in his innings. But Quinton’s stay at the crease was a short one as he was dismissed for 8 off 11 balls with 2 fours to his name. South African captain Temba Bavuma joined Markram in the middle.
But it was the Aiden Markram show from hereon as he put on a show for the ages and looked in complete control. Temba Bavuma gave him good support from the other end and the duo paced the innings really well and mixed caution with aggression. The duo slowly started to take the game away from India as dew set in and it was tough to grip the ball. The duo of Markram and Bavuma put on 101 for the second wicket before Bavuma fell for a good looking 46 off 48 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name to Prasidh Krishna. Markram was also dropped after completing his fifty as Yashasvi Jaiswal made a meal of it at long-on and dropped the catch.
Matthew Breetzke came out to bat next. Markram and Breetzke joined forces and built a solid partnership for the third wicket. Markram was the aggressor while Breetzke played second fiddle and anchored the chase by rotating the strike and kept the tempo going. Markram made India pay for the dropped catch and completed his 4th ODI hundred and his first against India. The duo shared a 70-run stand for the third wicket before Markram fell for a magnificent 110 off 98 balls with 10 fours and 4 sixes to his name.
Dewald Brevis joined Matthew Breetzke in the middle and the duo stabilised the innings and then pressed the accelerator when required. The duo got themselves in and then went big with Brevis playing the aggressor while Breetzke played the anchor role. Brevis went berserk and took the Indian bowling head on and clobbered the bowlers especially Kuldeep Yadav. Prasidh Krishna was taken to the cleaners as well. Brevis reached his fifty in 33 balls and was hitting sixes than fours. The duo put on 92 for the 4th wicket before Brevis fell for 54 off 34 balls with one four and 5 sixes to his name as Kuldeep Yadav got his man.
Tony de Zorzi came out to bat next and he was also busy in the innings. Breetzke completed his 7th ODI fifty in 11 matches and carried on from there to hold the innings together. Breetzke and de Zorzi put on 28 runs off 20 balls as South Africa were now cruising to the win before Breetzke fell for 68 off 64 balls with 5 fours to his name as Prasidh Krishna got another wicket. Marco Jansen joined Tony de Zorzi in the middle.
Marco Jansen did not last long as he fell for 2 off 2 balls to Arshdeep Singh. Corbin Bosch came out to bat next to join de Zorzi. Bosch was quick off the blocks and hit two boundaries in his first 3 balls and was on 10* off 3 balls when Tony de Zorzi pulled his hamstring and was in real pain before he went off the field. The score was 332 when Tony de Zorzi went off the field retired hurt for 17 off 11 balls with one six to his innings. Keshav Maharaj came out to bat next.
Bosch and Maharaj played the situation really well and took the ones and twos on offer and batted sensibly while Bosch got boundaries from time to time. Bosch was the finisher and was unbeaten on 29 off 15 balls with 4 fours to his name. Keshav Maharaj was unbeaten on 10 off 14 balls as South Africa completed the record chase in 49.2 overs with 18 extras given by the fielding side.
It was hard time for the Indian bowlers under dewy conditions. They had their task cut out. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 2/54 in 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna picked up 2 wickets but went for 85 in 8.2 overs. Harshit Rana finished with 1/70 in 10 overs while Kuldeep Yadav finished with 1/78 in 10 overs. Ravindra Jadeja finished with 0/41 in 7 overs while Washington Sundar finished with 0/28 in 4 overs. So, South Africa win by 4 wickets with 4 balls to spare. Aiden Markram was awarded the Player of the Match.
What Lies Ahead.Â
So, South Africa bouncing back and levelling the series 1-1 means that we will have a series decider on Saturday 6th December, 2025 at Vizag from 1:30 PM IST. Who will come out on top in the series decider? Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses. Let’s see how this game pans out.
Also Read:Â IND vs SA: Ruturaj Gaikwad & Virat Kohli Ton Powers India To 358/5