SA vs IND, 2nd ODI, Review: India annihilate South Africa by 9 wickets in Centurion

The wrist-spinning duo of Chahal and Kuldeep decimated the hosts with the combined figures of 8/42.

Published - 04 Feb 2018, 18:09 IST | Updated - 04 Feb 2018, 18:09 IST

3 Min Read

India romped over South Africa in the second One-Day International of the six-match series by nine wickets at Supersport Park in Centurion. The Super Sunday of the home crowd was ruined by Yuzvendra Chahal who registered his career-best figures with the ball. The hosts never arrived at the venue as they looked shell-shocked over their own performance with the bat. However, India have extended their lead now and would love to win the next ODI as well which will make sure that they won’t lose the series.

It was a day game in Centurion and the Indian skipper Virat Kohli opted to bowl first after winning the toss. The hosts handed a debut to Khaya Zondo who replaced the injured Faf du Plessis. They also brought it Tabraiz Shamsi at the expense of Andile Phehlukwayo who did well in the first ODI. The visitors had no reason to change the winning combination.

Chahal rips through SA line up

The opening duo of Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock had the responsibility to give their team a good start. Both started off cautiously as the new-ball bowlers of India bowled tight lines and lengths and kept them under the lid. Amla looked fluent with some delightful boundaries but was undone was Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the final over of the powerplay. He also wasted the review as there was a clear edge off his bat which went into the hands of the wicket-keeper MS Dhoni.

Soon after the first wicket fell, the wrist spinners took charge and South Africa lost three wickets in next six deliveries. They were reduced to 51/4 from 51/1 as de Kock first was caught in the deep off Chahal and then Kuldeep Yadav snaffled Aiden Markram and David Miller in the same over. JP Duminy and Khaya Zondo then added 48 runs trying to rebuild the innings. But the latter couldn’t resist himself from going for a big shot and top-edged a sweep off Chahal again.

The batting collapsed again as the spinners wreaked havoc and the home side slumped from being 99/4 to 118 all-out. The lower-order batsmen had no clue about the spinning deliveries from Chahal as they gifted him five wickets scoring only 22 runs off him. He bowled beautifully though and kept them on the tenterhooks ever since he bowled the first ball. Kuldeep Yadav once again bowled exceedingly well again and ended with the figures of 3/20 as the duo picked 8/42 between them.

India stroll to victory

India, in reply, cantered to the victory in the 21st over with nine wickets in hand and stretched their lead to 2-0. Rohit Sharma was the only man to be dismissed who once again failed to impress and got out playing the pull shot on 15 off Kagiso Rabada. The joy for the hosts was shortlived though as the centurion of the last match Virat Kohli came out to bat and looked in no trouble whatsoever. Both he and Shikhar Dhawan thumped the bowlers and especially the spinners who looked lacklustre as compared to their counterparts.

In the end, both remained unbeaten as it was a stroll for the visitors from the word go. While Kohli remained unbeaten on 46, Dhawan scored 51* off just 56 deliveries. India hit a total of 15 fours and a couple of sixes which was even more than South Africa. This proves the dominance that they’ve had on the home side in this series.

The third ODI now will be played on Wednesday (7 February) in Cape Town and the hosts need a quick turnaround to even get close to the mighty Indians. The Men in Blue, on the other hand, would love to continue their winning run and decimate the opposition.