Paarl (South Africa): Resie Van der Dussen and Captain Temba Bavuma scored opposite-style centuries and a double century partnership between the two helped South Africa win the first here on Wednesday. Beating India by 31 runs in the One Day International cricket match, took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
South Africa scored 296 for four with Van der Dussen (129 not out in 96 balls, nine fours, four sixes) and Bavuma (110 runs in 143 balls, eight fours) putting up a 204-run fourth-wicket stand. In reply, the Indian team could only manage 265 for eight despite half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan (79), Virat Kohli (51), and Shardul Thakur (50 not out).
Dhawan and Kohli also added 92 runs for the second wicket. As long as these two were at the crease, India’s upper hand was looking heavy, but after the early dismissal of both of them, only Shardul could bat and bat. Shardul reduced the margin of defeat by sharing an unbroken 51-run partnership with Jasprit Bumrah (14 not out).
Andile Phehlukwayo took 26 wickets, Tabrez Shamsi 52, and Lungi Ngidi took two wickets each for 64 runs for South Africa. Keshav Maharaj took one wicket for 42 runs in 10 overs while bowling economically. Chasing the target, India quickly lost the wicket of captain Lokesh Rahul (12), who was caught by wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock off the delivery of part-time spinner Aidan Markram, who opened the bowling.
Dhawan looked in good touch from the beginning. He kept Marco Jensen on target and hit five fours in his first four overs. Kohli opened the account with a boundary off Markram and completed India’s half-century in the ninth over. Dhawan completed his half-century in just 51 balls with a run-off left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. Dhawan and Kohli took the team’s score to 137 runs in the 25th over.
Dhawan was bowled by Keshav Maharaj in the 26th over. The left-arm spinner’s ball pitched in the off-side spin too much and got caught in the wickets, hitting Dhawan. Dhawan hit 10 fours in his innings of 84 balls. Kohli completed his half-century in 60 balls with a run-off Maharaj, but in the next over, Shamsi tried to sweep the ball, giving a simple catch to Bavuma. He hit three fours while facing 63 balls.
Pant and Iyer then took the innings forward. Pant was lucky on the score of six when Shamsi’s delivery was caught by Bavuma at short cover. Iyer, however, gave an easy catch to De Kock off Ngidi’s bouncing ball. He scored 17 runs. A ball later, Pant was also stumped off Phehlukwayo, which took India’s score to 182 for five. Pant scored 16 runs. Venkatesh Iyer (02) also caught Van der Dussen in an attempt to play a big shot off Ngidi’s bouncing ball. Phehlukwayo bowler Ravichandran Ashwin (07). India’s 200 runs were completed in the 39th over.
India needed 94 runs in the last 10 overs and this target proved to be a mountain for the team. Shardul scored his first half-century with a run off the last ball of the match. He faced 43 balls and hit five fours and a six. Earlier, after a slow start, Van der Dussen and Bavuma stitched together the second-highest partnership in ODIs against India to take the team to a competitive score.
The most successful bowler for India was Bumrah, who took two wickets for 48 runs. Ashwin took one wicket for 53 runs. South Africa won the toss and elected to bat on the slow pitch of Boland Park. Bumrah got opener Yaneman Malan (06) caught by wicketkeeper Pant on the outswinger in the fifth over. Indian bowlers kept the run rate in check as South Africa scored 39 for one in 10 overs.
Quinton de Kock (27 off 41 balls) and Bavuma, playing their first match after announcing their retirement from Test cricket, struggled to score runs. De Kock, playing his first ODI since June 2017, got bowled while trying to cut Ashwin’s straight delivery. Venkatesh Iyer gave the third blow to South Africa by running out Markram (04) on an accurate target.
Dussen and Bavuma then finished the innings. Both hit boundaries at regular intervals. Van der Dusen took an aggressive approach from the start. He opened the account by hitting a four with a reverse sweep on Yuzvendra Chahal and then with the sweep hit two more fours on this leg-spinner. Van der Dussen hit the first six of the innings on Shardul Thakur’s free hit. He hit nine fours and four sixes in his innings.
Bavuma scored a century in the 45th over while Van der Dussen scored a century in the 48th over. This is the second century for both the batsmen. Shardul scored 17 runs in the last over of the innings, taking the hosts close to the 300-run mark. Shardul proved to be the most expensive bowler. He conceded 72 runs in 10 overs and got no wickets. India did not use the sixth bowling option in the form of Venkatesh.
