In a thrilling third and final ODI in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, the Indian cricket team, set a competitive target of 270 runs by South Africa, got off to a flying start thanks to a magnificent opening partnership between captain Rohit Sharma and young prodigy Yashasvi Jaiswal. The duo laid a solid foundation, putting on a 155-run stand for the first wicket, setting the stage for a successful chase.
Rohit Sharma Enters Historic Batting Pantheon
The match witnessed a monumental personal milestone for Indian skipper Rohit Sharma. During the 14th over of India's innings, Rohit carved his name into cricketing history by becoming only the fourth Indian batter to cross the landmark of 20,000 runs in men's international cricket. He now finds himself in the exalted company of legends Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and Rahul Dravid. This achievement underscored his consistency and class across formats over a long career.
Record-Breaking Opening Stand and Bowling Brilliance
The opening partnership between Rohit and Jaiswal was not just effective but also record-breaking. It was India's 10th century opening stand against South Africa in ODIs and their first since Rohit paired with Shikhar Dhawan to add 127 runs in the 2013 Champions Trophy. This 155-run partnership also stands as India's second-highest opening stand against the Proteas, only behind the legendary 193-run stand between Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly in Johannesburg back in 2001. For Rohit, it was the 35th time he has been involved in a 100-run opening stand in ODIs.
Earlier, India's bowlers, led superbly by Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna, restricted South Africa to a total of 270 runs. Kuldeep was the pick of the bowlers, returning impressive figures of 4 for 41 in his 10 overs. Prasidh Krishna provided excellent support, claiming 4 for 66. Their combined eight-wicket haul dismantled the South African batting line-up after a strong start.
De Kock's Century in a Losing Cause
South Africa's innings was built around a brilliant century from wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock. He played a aggressive knock, scoring 106 runs off just 89 deliveries, an innings peppered with eight boundaries and six maximums. Captain Temba Bavuma provided steady support with a 48-run knock. However, once Prasidh Krishna dismissed both Matthew Breetzke (24) and Aiden Markram in the 29th over, the innings lost momentum. Kuldeep Yadav then took charge, efficiently cleaning up the lower order to wrap up the innings.
Kuldeep's performance marked his fifth four-wicket haul against South Africa in ODIs. Furthermore, with this effort, he now has 11 four-wicket (or more) hauls in ODIs, moving past Indian greats Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, who both had 10 such hauls, to become the third Indian bowler with the most four-wicket hauls in the 50-over format.
At the time of writing, with the foundation firmly set by the openers, India's chase was well on course at 162 for the loss of just one wicket after 27 overs, needing just over a hundred more runs to seal the series.
