RAJKOT:India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Virat Kohli were preparing for the calculated charge, and the South Africans had to hit their buttons. While the hosts had eight wickets in hand, the opposition had put a squeeze on the scoring rate through the middle overs, managing to push the asking rate beyond eight with some well-orchestrated field placements and pinpoint bowling.
With 91 required off 64 balls, something had to give, and off flew Dhoni’s bat towards the square-leg umpire as he attempted to hit JP Duminy out of the park. The off-spinner followed it up with a wide and Dhoni sent the next ball crashing to the extra cover fence. The skipper’s ferocious drive then failed to stick in the bowler’s hands. The match was on the boil, but 11 balls later Dhoni ballooned a short one from Morne Morkel to short third man as the visitors broke through a threatening 90-run third-wicket stand that took a little too long in coming for India’s comfort.
Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir and Kagiso Rabada too kept control of their nerves and their lines and lengths to steal a march over India in the third ODI at the SCA Stadium in Khandheri on Sunday.
Having picked up Shikhar Dhawan earlier, Morkel proceeded to clean up Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane off successive balls to kill the contest.
The SA win followed a familiar script this series, of teams losing the plot at critical junctures after being in control for much of the game. After the bowlers had picked up wickets at crucial moments to restrict the opposition to well within manageable proportions, Indian batsmen appeared seemingly in control of the chase till the SA pacemen began to get some reverse swing.
Opting to bat first, South Africa sprang a surprise by promoting David Miller right to the top, as Hashim Amla dropped down a spot, after both men were unable to make it big from their previous slots. But it was Quinton de Kock’s well-paced century that propelled them to a fighting total.
The left-hander opener, who had slammed a couple of centuries on SA’s A tour to India in August, produced the promised big innings after having squandered good starts in the first two games. Incredibly, it was his fourth hundred against India in seven innings.
Relishing the even bounce on the Khandheri surface, he drove the medium pacers powerfully down the ground and worked the spinners into gaps judiciously to lay the foundation for the visitors. By the time a cramping up De Kock was run out, SA had crossed 200 and had 10 overs remaining with six wickets in hand. But the latter half of the SA innings was more to the hosts’ liking.
India, given the dryness of the Khanderi surface, had chosen to include their slowest bowler, Amit Mishra, in place of their fastest, Umesh Yadav. The move paid off as, in tandem with Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel, Mishra helped India keep the visitors in check after the opening stand had raised 72 and then De Kock and Faf du Plessis added 118 for the third wicket.
Three wickets in eight balls between the 39th and the 41st overs, just when SA looked set for the final assault, kept the target within India’s sights. The big wicket was, of course, that of captain AB de Villiers who was done in by a quick arm ball from Patel that trapped him in front while shaping for a cut.