Key Points
- Match played at YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA–VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam, series decider.
- India won the toss, opted to bowl first, restricted South Africa to 270 in 47.5 overs.
- Prasidh Krishna took 4 for 66, Kuldeep Yadav 4 for 41, Arshdeep Singh and Ravindra Jadeja claimed one wicket each.
- Quinton de Kock scored a counter attacking century for South Africa, but lacked support at the death.
- India chased 271 with ease, finishing on 271 for 1, winning by 9 wickets.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his maiden ODI hundred, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli hit fluent fifties.
- India clinched the three match ODI series 2–1 after South Africa had levelled in Raipur.
In the third and decisive ODI at Visakhapatnam, India captain KL Rahul won the toss and chose to bowl first on a surface offering early pace and later grip for the spinners. South Africa rode on a brilliant century from opener Quinton de Kock, who counterattacked with a flurry of fours and sixes to hold the innings together.
Despite a strong platform, regular wickets in the middle and death overs meant the Proteas were bowled out for 270 in 47.5 overs, leaving runs on the table in what looked like a 300-plus track earlier in the innings. India’s disciplined bowling at the back end ensured the visitors could not fully capitalise on de Kock’s ton, with the last eight wickets falling for just over 100 runs.
Prasidh and Kuldeep dismantle the Proteas line-up
India’s pace spearhead Prasidh Krishna started expensively but returned in his second spell to rip through the South African middle order, finishing with figures of 4 for 66. His double strike in the 29th over, including dismissals of key batters after building pressure with a tight spell, completely shifted the momentum in India’s favour.
Left arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav then took charge, exploiting the two-paced nature of the Vizag surface to run through the lower order and record 4 for 41, his 11th four-wicket haul in ODIs. Arshdeep Singh chipped in with 1 for 36 and Ravindra Jadeja with 1 for 50, as India’s attack hunted in pairs to bowl South Africa out before completing their full quota of overs.
India’s top order dominates the chase
Chasing 271, India’s openers settled the contest with a commanding stand, taking advantage of a truer pitch under lights and a slightly tired South African attack. Yashasvi Jaiswal stroked his maiden ODI century, mixing elegant drives with aggressive pulls, while captain Rohit Sharma compiled a fluent half century to put India well ahead of the required rate.
After Rohit’s dismissal, Virat Kohli joined Jaiswal and continued the dominance with a composed fifty of his own, ensuring there were no late jitters in the chase. India cruised to 271 for 1 in 39.5 overs, winning the match by 9 wickets and underlining the gulf between the sides in the series decider.
Series result and talking points
With this victory, India sealed the three-match ODI series 2–1, having won the high-scoring first ODI in Ranchi and lost a record chase to South Africa in Raipur. The combination of incisive new ball bowling, potent middle overs spin, and a ruthless top order made the home side near unbeatable in the final game.
Kuldeep’s continuing success against South Africa, along with Prasidh’s strong comeback spell, will be major positives for India’s pace spin balance going into future white ball assignments. For South Africa, de Kock’s lone hand and the collapse from 168 for 2 to 270 all out will be key areas of concern as they review their death overs batting and bowling plans.
