international_1 EN

Exclusive offer

Stake

New customers only | Commercial content | 18+ age limit | T&Cs apply

Exclusive offer from Stake

Bonus offered

Cricket: India strike back with 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa

by Devesh Jaganath

image Cricket: India strike back with 2-1 ODI series victory over South Africa
After a poor showing in the longest format last month, India struck back in style by clinching the ODI leg of their series against South Africa 2-1. The Men in Blue secured a nine-wicket victory in the third and final ODI in Vizag over the weekend, with Virat Kohli claiming the Player of the Series award.

India dominate final ODI against Proteas in Vizag 

After 20 consecutive toss losses, KL Rahul’s decision to go with a left-handed spin of the coin paid dividends in Vizag on Saturday, when India secured their three-match ODI series victory against South Africa with an excellent performance.

Given the impact dew had in the second innings of matches in this series, it was unsurprising to see Rahul opt to bowl first. Making use of the conditions, Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna picked up four wickets apiece to restrict the Proteas to 270 runs in 47.5 overs. 

In response, the Men in Blue got off to the perfect start with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma producing a massive 155-run first-wicket partnership. Sharma was dismissed for 75 runs off 73 deliveries in the 26th over, while Jaiswal went on to finish on 116* (121). 

Virat Kohli delivered another masterclass knock at number three, finishing on 65* (45), following back-to-back centuries in Ranchi and Raipur. He was also named Player of the Series and confirmed our cricket predictions for the final ODI.

Indeed, India only lost a single wicket en route to chasing down the 271-run target, and they did so with 10.1 overs to spare. The home side now have the momentum heading into the T20 leg of the series, which gets underway on Tuesday, December 9. 

 

BCCI confirm 15-player squad for T20I series 

ind_vs_rsa_20

With South Africa winning the Test leg and India biting back in the ODIs, our attention now turns to the shortest format, with five T20I matches scheduled between tomorrow (December 9) and Friday, December 19. 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCC) revealed the 15-player squad that will feature in the upcoming series, with the headline inclusion being that of Shubman Gill, who was forced to miss the ODI leg after sustaining an injury in the Tests. 

Suryakumar Yadav will captain the team with Gill serving as his deputy. Hardik Pandya delivered an impressive performance for Baroda in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last week and is set to return to the fold for the first time since the Asia Cup back in September. 

India squad for T20I series against South Africa

Indian cricket team: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

Please Gamble Responsibly

logo footer