After a dominant win over the Proteas, the Indian team suffered a similar-looking defeat against Aiden Markram’s South Africa on Tuesday. As a result, both sides will be walking in the last match with an equal opportunity to seal the series. The third match of the three ODI series will be taking place at Boland Park on Thursday.
What have they done so far?
After the T20I series ended, India and South Africa jumped into the three-match ODI series. The first match of the series took place at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. Aiden Markram won the toss and decided to bat first. However, his decision didn’t turn out to be solid for the Proteas as constant wickets started falling from their side.
Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen were dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh. Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi tried building a partnership, however, their partnership was also shattered by Arshdeep. In addition to Singh’s five-wicket haul, the annihilation of the South African batting line-up was joined by Avesh Khan, who also took four wickets, conceding only 27 runs in eight overs.
On the other hand, Sai Sudharsan scored a magnificent half-century on his ODI debut against South Africa. Shreyas Iyer also played a 52-run innings, eventually guiding the Men in Blue to a victory by eight wickets. Nevertheless, the Proteas managed to make a decent comeback in the second match. At Saint George’s Park on Tuesday, the hosts again won the toss but this time, Markram decided to bowl first.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Varma lost their wickets early but Sudharshan and Rahul managed to build a partnership as both of them scored half-centuries. Nevertheless, other than them, the whole batting line-up of the Men in Blue collapsed at a total of 211 runs in the 46th over.
Without any troubles, the Proteas completed the chase in the 42nd over with the help of a ton from Tony de Zorzi and a half-century from Reeza Hendricks. As a result, South Africa has forced the series into a decider as the winner will be decided in the third match.
Head to Head Record
India and South Africa have locked horns for a total of 93 times in ODI cricket. The Proteas have recorded 51 victories over India, while the Men in Blue have managed to walk out victorious on 39 occasions.
The remaining three matches between the two teams have ended with no result. Before this series, the two sides also locked horns in the group stage of the 2023 ICC World Cup, where the Proteas suffered a huge defeat by 243 runs.
Key Players
Tony de Zonzi scored 119 runs against India in the 2nd ODI
Tony de Zorzi (South Africa): Tony de Zonzi is currently the top scorer of the ODI series and has scored 147 runs in two innings. In the first match, he scored 28 runs off 22 deliveries. In the second ODI, he smashed nine fours and 6 sixes to complete his ton.
KL Rahul had to introduce part-time bowlers because he wanted the 26-year-old to lose his wicket, but that didn’t happen as he played an unbeaten 119-run knock. Hence, Tony de Zorzi will be the most important figure in the South African batting line-up ahead of their third ODI against India.
Sai Sudharsan (India): Despite being a debutant, Sai Sudharshan has shown great composure against South Africa in both matches of the series. Moreover, the 22-year-old has become only the second batsman to score two consecutive fifties in his initial two ODI matches.
Sudharshan has joined Navjot Singh Sidhu, who scored four consecutive fifties in his first four ODI matches in 1987. Hence, the Gujarat Titans batter will be playing a crucial role in the Indian batting line-up in the third match.
Predicted XIs
South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram ©, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Lizaad Williams
India: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul ©, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
Prediction
In the first two matches of the series, two utterly different results have been witnessed by cricket fans. The Men in Blue will be the favorites to win the match, however, the Proteas also can turn the tables at Boland Park.