By: Tarish Bhatt
If it was South Africa in the last game, this time it was Team India’s turn to falter with the bat, as from a winning position they surrendered the game pretty easily in the Rajkot ODI.
South Africa registered their second win in the five-match series by 18 runs to take a crucial 2-1 lead over India, making the next game a must-win encounter for the MS Dhoni-led outfit.
It wasn’t a one-sided contest by any means, as at one point with MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, India were running away with the game, but the game turned upside down in the last 15 overs.
Morne Morkel dismissed both Dhoni and Kohli to end India’s hope of taking the initiative in the series. The lanky pacer finished with four wickets, three of them coming in the death overs.
When Dhoni and Kohli were batting together 271 looked like an easy chase of Team India, but South Africa created enough pressure to force the Indian captain into a rash shot, and the man fell for it.
As Dhoni was dismissed, it turned out to be a mammoth task for Virat Kohli to steer the team home alone, and in a bid to up the ante, he too lost his wicket.
Earlier, electing to bat first, South Africa got off to a great start with Quinton de Kock and David Miller, but India came back well with spinners to get the latter and Hashim Amla quickly.
Quinton de Kock, meanwhile, anchored one end and with Faf du Plessis put South Africa in a commanding position. du Plessis, however, rode on his luck with some dropped chances and a no-ball.
But, Team India came back superbly in the death overs, picking wickets on regular intervals and giving away nothing way. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma, in particular, bowled brilliantly in the death overs.
In the end, however, innings played by Quinton de Kock and crucial partnerships he made with Miller and Faf du Plessis proved crucial as South Africa managed to win the contest.
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