Aiden Markram scored a superb century, supported by brisk fifties from Matthew Breetzke and Dewald Brevis, as South Africa chased down 359 to beat India by four wickets in the second ODI at Raipur on Wednesday, leveling the three-match series 1-1.
After centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, along with KL Rahul’s unbeaten fifty, pushed India to 358/5 in 50 overs, Markram anchored South Africa’s pursuit with a sublime 110 off 98 balls. Breetzke’s fluent 68 and Brevis’ lively 54 added crucial momentum in the middle overs, helping the visitors finish the chase with four balls to spare.
Markram’s knock formed the backbone of the South African innings, featuring stands of 101 and 70 with Temba Bavuma (45) and Breetzke. Dropped on 53 by Yashasvi Jaiswal at long-on, he made full use of the reprieve. Breetzke and Brevis then added 92 runs for the fourth wicket to keep the asking rate under control on a dewy outfield, with India letting opportunities slip through lapses in the field.
Corbin Bosch finished the job with an unbeaten 29, steering South Africa to their third-highest ODI chase. The chase of 359 also equals the joint-highest total ever hunted down against India in ODIs, matching Australia’s successful pursuit in Mohali in 2019.
South Africa began brightly, with Markram and Quinton de Kock hitting five boundaries inside the first three overs. India struck early when Arshdeep Singh forced de Kock to mistime a shot towards mid-on, where he fell for eight. Though Arshdeep and debutant Harshit Rana tested Markram, the right-hander settled in once the new-ball movement faded.
Markram and Bavuma collected boundaries off Prasidh Krishna as South Africa reached 51/1 at the end of the Powerplay. With dew settling in, Markram looked increasingly comfortable against spin, reaching his half-century off 52 balls. Kuldeep Yadav’s arrival brought little relief for India, and Jaiswal’s dropped catch gave Markram a key lifeline.
Prasidh eventually removed Bavuma for 46 with a short ball, but Markram continued to score freely against Prasidh, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja, bringing up his first ODI hundred as an opener off 88 balls. His subdued celebration highlighted the job still to be done. He eventually fell for 110, deceived by a clever slower ball from Rana and holing out to long-on.
Brevis kept the chase lively by launching Kuldeep down the ground and ramping Arshdeep over the keeper, while Breetzke worked the ball around confidently. Breetzke raised his seventh ODI fifty in just his 11th innings, while Brevis powered to a 33-ball half-century with two sixes off Rana and another off Kuldeep. He fell on the next delivery trying to clear long-on again, giving Kuldeep his first wicket.
Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi added more boundaries before Breetzke was trapped lbw by Prasidh for 68 and Marco Jansen holed out to long-off against Arshdeep. De Zorzi retired hurt with a hamstring issue, but Bosch ensured there were no late hiccups, finding three boundaries before sealing the chase.
Earlier, Gaikwad showcased excellent play against spin, moving from a fifty off 52 balls to a maiden ODI hundred off 77 deliveries, eventually scoring 105 off 83. Kohli, fluent from the start, compiled a polished 102 off 93 balls—his second consecutive century in the series and the 53rd of his ODI career.
The two added 195 runs for the third wicket before Rahul’s unbeaten 66 off 43 balls provided the late push, especially after being dropped by Breetzke on 44. Ravindra Jadeja’s 24* helped India add 69 runs for the sixth wicket, taking them past 350.
India’s innings began with Rohit Sharma and Jaiswal dealing with movement from the Proteas seamers, although Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger struggled for consistency early. Rohit scored three boundaries off Burger before edging behind for 14 via DRS. Jaiswal followed for 22, mistiming a pull off Jansen.
The crowd roared as Kohli pulled Ngidi for six and flicked Jansen stylishly. Gaikwad handled Jansen’s short-ball barrage confidently, sweeping Keshav Maharaj for two fours and hammering Bosch for a series of strokes. Kohli’s 47-ball fifty came before Gaikwad’s 52-ball one as both batted with increasing control.
Gaikwad reached his century by pulling Bosch for four, celebrating warmly with Kohli. Jansen dismissed him shortly after with a slower ball, drawing a standing ovation. Kohli then completed back-to-back ODI tons for the 11th time in his career before falling to Ngidi for 102.
Rahul ensured India finished strongly, bringing up his fifty off 34 balls and adding late boundaries with Jadeja to finish on 358—ultimately not enough against a commanding South African chase.
Brief scores:
India 358/5 in 50 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 105, Virat Kohli 102, KL Rahul 66; Marco Jansen 2/63, Nandre Burger 1/43)
South Africa 359/6 in 49.2 overs (Aiden Markram 110, Matthew Breetzke 68, Dewald Brevis 54, Temba Bavuma 45; Arshdeep Singh 2/54, Prasidh Krishna 2/82)
South Africa won by 4 wickets.
–IANS
