Shreyas Iyer hit an unbeaten ton while Ishan Kishan smashed 93 off 84 deliveries to steer India to a seven-wicket win against South Africa in the second ODI JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday, 9 October.
Chasing 279, India rode on Shreyas's 113 not out (111 balls) and local lad Ishan's explosive hitting to help India level the three-match ODI series 1-1.
Earlier, Mohammed Siraj picked up three wickets (3/38) as India restricted South Africa to 278/7 in 50 overs. For South Africa, Reeza Hendricks (74 off 76 balls) and Aiden Markram (79 off 89 balls) impressed with the bat to put their side ahead in the game initially.
However, the Indian bowlers showed excellent fightback to restrict the visitors to a below-300-run total.
Siraj Picks Three as India Restrict SA to 278/7
Seamer Siraj handed India an early breakthrough after South Africa opener Quinton de Kock (5 off 8 balls) dragged one back onto his stumps while attempting to drive a ball wide outside off.
Following de Kock’s dismissal, Janneman Malan and new batter Reeza Hendricks, who replaced unwell regular skipper, Temba Bavuma, found the going tough as the Indian bowlers kept them under check with their tight spells.
To make matters worse for the Proteas, debutant Shahbaz Ahmed picked his maiden ODI wicket by trapping Malan (25 off 31 balls) in front of the stumps at the end of first powerplay.
South Africa would have lost another wicket had it not been for an umpire’s call that saved Aiden Markram, who missed a sweep that went onto hit his pads off Kuldeep Yadav’s ball in the 17th over.
Both Markram and Hendricks played with caution against the Indian spinners, especially Kuldeep, who kept troubling the former. However, the two batters found their groove and went on to hit fifties to push South Africa’s total to 143/2 after 28 overs.
India finally managed to break the deadlock when Siraj returned into the attack to dismiss Hendricks who scored a measured 74 runs (76 balls).
The wicket also ended the Proteas duo’s impressive 129-run partnership for the third-wicket.
Despite Hendricks’ dismissal, South Africa kept scoring with the in-form Heinrich Klaasen and set batter Markram at the crease but India soon bounced back into the game by picking two wickets in quick succession.
The dangerous Heinrich Klaasen was the first to leave after scoring 30 off 26 balls, off Kuldeep’s over. Markram (79 off 89 balls) followed suit just one ball later trying to whack Washington Sundar, only to find skipper Shikhar Dhawan at extra cover.
Suddenly, South Africa looked in a spot of bother at 221/5 after the end of the second powerplay. The Indian bowlers then did a commendable job, conceding just 26 runs and taking two wickets in the in the final five overs to restrict the visitors to 278/8 after 50 overs.
Shreyas, Ishan Architects of Indian Win
Chasing 279, India lost skipper Dhawan for 13 runs (20 balls) in the sixth over to an inside edge off Wayne Parnell. This is the second time in the series the left-arm seamer has dismissed the experienced southpaw in a similar fashion.
Though Dhawan’s poor form in the series continued, his opening partner Shubman Gill looked the complete opposite. The young batter embodied confidence and brought the crowd to their feet with his elegant cover drives.
However, Gill’s (28 off 26 balls) stay at the crease was short-lived as Proteas pacer Kagiso Rabada took an excellent catch in his follow-through to send the young opener packing.
After the end of the first powerplay, India were 55/2 and in dire need of a partnership with Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in the middle. The duo started slowly but gained momentum once the spinners came into play.
Both the batters took the attacking route against the spinners and stitched a 100-run partnership to take India past the 150 score after 27 overs. Once past their respective fifties, Ishan and Shreyas upped the ante, dislodging anything and everything that came their way over the fence.
Ishan’s explosive innings would have met an abrupt end at 86 had Rabada not dropped a catch of the batter during his follow-through in the 33rd over.
Nevertheless, Ishan did not last long as he hurled Bjorn Fortuin's ball out to Hendricks at deep midwicket to miss out on a hundred by seven runs. With Ishan’s dismissal, the Proteas finally managed to put a halt to the crucial 161-run third-wicket partnership between him and Shreyas.
The latter then steered the Indian innings forward alongside wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson and reached his second ODI hundred as India edged closer to their target. With 25 balls and seven wickets still remaining, Shreyas took India home by slicing Anrich Nortje for a four.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)