Defending 247, India pulled off a 22-run victory in the second ODI against South Africa in Indore, to level the five-match series 1-1. After MS Dhoni set up the match with a watchfully compiled 92* to lift India to 247 for nine his bowlers rose to the challenge and complimented by excellent fielding took the team to a thrilling win.
After the hosts were left reeling on 104 for five with more than half the innings left, the captain built useful partnerships worth 41 and 56 runs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harbhajan Singh respectively, to revive the innings and later launched into SA’s bowling attack to ensure that his bowlers had a total to defend.
Axar Patel (3/39) then claimed Hashim Amla and later accounted for JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, who had threatened to take the game away from India with a 82-run stand. Complimented by good fielding the Indian bowlers then struck at regular intervals to keep the match hanging in balance. Bhuvneshwar claimed three while Harbhajan picked two to bowl SA out for 225.
Earlier, after electing to bat, the Indian batsmen were tested by a disciplined bowling performance and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
In-form batsman, Rohit Sharma was the first depart. A fuller delivery from Kagiso Rabada uprooted the opener’s off-stump leaving India on three for one.
Ajinkya Rahane (51), who then came to the crease looked in sublime touch as he struck Dale Steyn through cover to get off the mark with a well timed boundary and followed up with two more elegant hits to the fence later in the over. Although India had lost Rohit early, the duo seemed to be making up for the early loss as the second wicket partnership began to take shape. However, a slower delivery from Morne Morkel was Shikhar Dhawan’s undoing. He hit the ball straight into the hands of JP Duminy at short cover to depart for 23 and ended the stand for 56.
23 runs later, India lost Virat Kohli to an unfortunate mix-up in the middle with Rahane. The batsmen ran a single after Rahane was let off by Farhaan Behardien at mid-off; but Kohli looking for a second run too ended up at the non-striker’s end and was run out.
Dhoni then joined Rahane in an effort to stabilise the wobbly innings. The top-order bat brought up his third successive ODI fifty against SA with a boundary off Morkel behind the wicket. However, while looking to sweep Imran Tahir, he found himself bowled round the legs in the next over. In the following over Suresh Raina perished edging a short ball from Morkel to the wicketkeeper.
India had their backs to the wall when Patel joined his captain in the middle. With runs hard to come by, the lower-order bat slammed Duminy over the off-side and got six for it. However, he was trapped lbw by Steyn in the next over leaving India on 124 for six in 29.3 overs.
In Bhuvneshwar, India’s ODI captain then found an able ally to stabilise the innings. Batting sensibly the duo built a partnership with ones and twos. When the opportunity presented itself, the lower-order bat swept Duminy over the leg side for four while Dhoni heaved the bowler over square-leg for six later in the over as they picked 13 runs from the over.
Dhoni swung Rabada for couple of boundaries as he inched towards his fifty and with a six off Duminy an over later he reached fifty. With Harbhajan too taking on the bowlers the pair took India past the 200-run mark. Duminy was milked for 17 in an over as both batsmen hit him for sixes. But an over later, Steyn struck a double blow to leave India on 225 for nine. He forced an edge from Harbhajan through to the wicketkeeper while Umesh Yadav too was caught by Quinton de Kock a ball later.
Defending the modest total India missed a chance, albeit difficult one to send back de Kock in the fourth over. The opener had hit Yadav towards square-leg and although Rohit dove to his right to pluck the catch out of the air, the ball popped off the fielder’s hands as he hit the ground.
The SA openers then went on to take the partnership to 40 until Patel drew Amla out and had him stumped. 12 runs later, de Kock taking the aerial route off Harbhajan was caught by Mohit.
du Plessis was on song as he collected boundaries and scored effortlessly. The partnership had kept the match tipped in SA’s favour until Patel had Duminy leg-before wicket and removed du Plessis in his next over. The batsman departed hitting the ball straight to cover where Kohli took the catch even as he rocked back on his feet while collecting the ball.
In the following over, Bhuvneshwar had David Miller nick one to the ‘keeper and Dhoni took a superb diving catch to leave SA on 142 for five and keep India in the game.
AB de Villiers then added 25 for the sixth wicket before hitting a Mohit delivery straight towards cover and Kohli to a diving catch to keep the match precariously poised. 19 runs later, Steyn looking to hit over the cover region was caught by Kohli off Yadav.
Back in the attack, Harbhajan accounted for Behardien in his last over to leave SA on 200 for eight. 21 runs later, Bhuvneshwar drew an edge from Tahir through to the wicketkeeper and Dhoni took the catch. A ball later he had Morkel caught in the slips to bowl India to a thrilling win.
Man of the Match: MS Dhoni for setting up the match with an unbeaten 92 and leading India to a victory
