India suffered another painful loss in the final one-dayer of the three-match ODI series against South Africa on January 23, going down by just four runs in a close-fought battle.
In a game that went down to the last over, the Men in Blue came as close as 283 to reach the 288-run target set by South Africa in Newlands. But untimely mini-collapses, as was the case in the first two ODIs as well, hurt them very badly.
Once again, senior pros Shikhar Dhawan (61) and Virat Kohli (65) batted in supreme touch at the crease before they were dismissed, trying to force the pace on what was another two-paced, uneven surface for the series. Either side of their departure, stand-in skipper KL Rahul (9) and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant (0) went very early.
While Rahul got out edging a good ball from pacer Lungi Ngidi, India would’ve been livid with the dismissal of Pant and its fashion. The aggressive left-hander tried to smash fast-bowler Andile Phehlukwayo through the off-side off his very first ball at the pitch and was hauled out by the deep cover boundary rider.
After the departure of those four, Shreyas Iyer (26) and Suryakumar Yadav (39) batted in nice flow and rhythm and showcased the promise of being India’s long-term heroes in the lower middle-order. Just then, however, Iyer was out caught pulling a ball through the deep fine-leg region. Soon, Suryakumar tried to flick a ball over the in-field and was done in by a slower ball to be caught by the mid-off fielder.
At this point, it seemed that a defeat was just around the corner for India. But then, their hopes were raised once again by an admirable knock from lower-order bat Deepak Chahar, who struck 54 runs off 34 balls, including five fours and two sixes. He was ably supported at the task for a brief by Jasprit Bumrah (12), who made sure Deepak got back on strike.
These two took India to a position of strength where they now required a further 10 runs off 18 balls. But, as has been the case all tour, it proved to be a false dawn, with Deepak getting out trying to hit the ball over the in-field. Once that happened, SA tightened the screws on India’s lower-order, forcing Bumrah to take the risk before he too was out caught. Eventually, India fell four runs short, with all their wickets lost.
But perhaps the batting isn’t excessively up for blame for India’s failure in the game and the series, as they were once again chasing a score about 30 runs above par for the track. The first half saw India begin well and end well with the ball. However, an outstanding partnership in the middle between Quinton de Kock (124) and Rassie van der Dussen (52), and a useful middle-order hand from David Miller (39) allowed Proteas to reach past the 280-mark.
That’s what makes a Walker. Presenting the Walkers trophy. To honour all those who choose to make every step, a step forward.
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) January 24, 2022
Quinton de Kock is awarded this trophy for his player of the series award against India👏#SAvIND #KeepWalking pic.twitter.com/g57icpNrzw
De Kock played one of his finest innings after South Africa found themselves 70 for three at one stage. In partnership with Dussen, he took the game back to India. The hosts did suffer a collapse towards the end of their innings. But those two made sure they still had a score to defend.
For Indians, their biggest positive with the ball was Deepak’s (2/53) new-ball exploits. They would also take some heart from the promise displayed by young Prasidh Krishna (3/59).
Brief scores
South Africa 287/10 in 49.5 overs (De Kock 124, Van der Dussen 52; Krishna 3/59) beat India 283/10 in 49.2 overs (Kohli 65, Dhawan 61; Ngidi 3/58) by 4 runs
