Perhaps, nobody had expected India to lose all three matches of the ODI series in South Africa. After losing the first two ODIs, India had one game remaining to salvage some pride.
South Africa has beaten India
However, the Men In Blue failed to win the last ODI as well, thereby losing the ODI series by a 3-0 margin.
India won the toss once again but decided to bowl first. They made four changes to their playing XI. Deepak Chahar took the new ball instead of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and also provided rich dividends.
He took the wicket of Janneman Malan in the third over. Three overs later, Bavuma ran himself out to leave his team in trouble at 34 for 2 in 6.3 overs. Quinton de Kock, however, carried on with his brilliant form and played yet another sensational knock against India.
Be it spinners or pacers; he spared no one. The southpaw wreaked havoc in Cape Town as he smashed 124 runs in 130 deliveries, a knock which was laced with 12 fours and two sixes. After scoring 15 off 14 deliveries, Markram got out, but Rassie van der Dussen played a handy 52-run knock in 59 deliveries.
The likes of Chahar, Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna put a break on South Africa’s flow of runs in the latter part of the innings as they picked wickets six wickets in the last fifteen overs. South Africa, eventually, managed to score 287 runs in the first innings.
Virat Kohli amassed 65 off 84 balls
In reply, India, once again, lost KL Rahul (9 off 10) early, but Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli stitched a 98-run partnership for the second wicket to lead a remarkable recovery.
However, both of them got out at a crucial stage in the game. Dhawan scored 61 off 73 balls, while Virat Kohli amassed 65 off 84 balls. Rishabh Pant tried to take on the bowler from the very first ball but was caught at deep extra cover instead.
Both Suryakumar Yadav (39) and Shreyas Iyer (26) were guilty of not converting the start into big scores. India lost all hopes of winning the game after Suryakumar Yadav got out in the 40th over for the score of 210.
However, Deepak Chahar then scored a fantastic half-century and turned the fortune for the team. He made 54 off 34 balls and had almost won the game for the team. However, he got out in the 48th over, and India eventually fell four runs short of the target.