South Africa pulled off a stunning four-wicket victory over India in the second ODI, chasing down a mammoth 359 with four balls to spare. Aiden Markram’s top class 110 anchored the Proteas’ highest successful chase on Indian soil, overshadowing opposition’s centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, and drawing the three-match series level at 1-1.
Asked to bat first after skipper Temba Bavuma won the toss – India’s Openers Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply to Nandre Burger and Lungi Ngidi, but The real fireworks erupted when Kohli and Gaikwad forged a record-breaking 195-run stand.
Kohli, in sublime touch, hits his 53rd ODI century off 93 balls, his second in this series after a masterclass in Ranchi. Beside him, Gaikwad announced his arrival on the big stage with his maiden ODI ton, scoring 105 off 83 deliveries (12 fours, 2 sixes). The 28 Year-old shifted gears post-fifty, racing from 50 to 100 in just 25 balls, his aggressive pull shots leaving the South African fielders chasing shadows.
Rahul then unleashed a late flourish, smashing an unbeaten 66 off 43 (7 fours, 2 sixes), propelling India to 358/5. Jansen (2/63) was the pick of the bowlers.
Chasing 359 – the joint-third highest in ODIs in India – South Africa lost Quinton de Kock early to Arshdeep Singh, but Markram and Bavuma laid a solid platform. Matthew Breetzke’s composed 68 and Dewald Brevis’s explosive 54 off 34 (5 fours, 3 sixes) accelerated the chase, the duo adding 122 runs. Brevis’s maiden ODI fifty was a cameo of clean hitting.
At 292/6 needing 67, Corbin Bosch (29* off 15, 3 fours, 1 six) and Keshav Maharaj (10* off 12) held firm. Bosch sealed the victory with a boundary off Prasidh in the 50th over, and end with a wild celebration.
Markram, Player of the Match, credited the team resilience: “Chasing 359 here felt impossible mid-innings, but we backed our plans.”
This high-scoring thriller – the fifth successful 350-plus chase in India – sets up a top class decider in Visakhapatnam on December 6.
