IND vs SA, 2nd ODI: Aiden Markram's ton help Proteas bounce back, beat India in 2nd ODI to level series

South Africa defeated India in the 2nd ODI, keeping the series alive and setting up a thrilling decider after a dominant all-round performance.

Team India (Image Credit: BCCI)

In an incredible game of cricket, South Africa have managed to defeat India to win the second ODI match in Raipur. Despite Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad's century, the Proteas chased down 359 runs in a historic run-chase. Aiden Markram's ton and the combined effort from rest of the batters were the main reason behind the victory.

The game started with the Proteas forcing India to bat first. This was the 20th toss that India lost and ended up batting again. However, the batters gave it all and scored 358 runs in the first innings, thanks to Kohli and Gaikwad's century. They also made a 195-run partnership, scoring 102 and 105 runs, respectively. Gaikwad hit his maiden century while Kohli scored his 84th.

In response, South Africa chased down the target in 19 overs with four wickets in hand. Markram slammed 98-ball 110 runs, while Matthew Breetzke (68) and Dewald Brevis (54) scored half-centuries. They built up partnerships at regular intervals and helped their team to get past the victory line. South Africa have tied the series, 1-1, with the last one being a decider.

What did the captains say?

Temba Bavuma: Happy to have crossed the line. Coming into this game we were all thinking how can we get better with the ball. There were partnerships at the top, better showing from us, unbelievable game, record chase and it shows how well we have to play against this Indian side. I tried to build a partnership with Aiden, try to take the game deep and it was all about the partnerships.

The ploy to send Brevis early went in our favour. We can take a lot of confidence with this win. The guys who are here are the best, there is a high level of competition for positions, the batters know they have to be at their best. Performances like these do good for our confidence. I am not a doctor so I am not sure. It does not look good, but they will go through the medicals and if need be we have the guys to replace them.

KL Rahul: Not really. Considering how much dew there is and how much difficult it is to bowl in the second innings, the umpires have been nice enough to change the ball. Toss plays a huge role and I am kicking myself for losing the toss. There are things we could have done better. 350 looks good but the chat in the dressing room was how can we get that extra 20-25 runs for the bowlers, we also gave away a few soft runs in the field.

It was beautiful to watch Rutu and Virat bat. He goes on about doing his job, just to see the way Rutu take on the spinners, the tempo that he batted is what gave us that extra 20 runs, the lower order could have contributed more. Today is the first time that I have been slotted at 6 and walked in at 5, Virat and Rutu had set the tempo, so I walked in. I had got a fifty in the last game, was feeling confident, so it was better to walk in at number 5.

What went wrong for India in 2nd ODI vs SA?

The Indian team looked good with the bat as they went past 350 runs for the second time. The batters are in form, including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, and others. However, India's plan of playing all-rounders is taking a toll on the team. They played Washington Sundar who just scored one run and bowled for four overs.

Instead of him, they could have gone for a specialist bowler since India were batting first. Moreover, Mohammed Siraj's absence is also a huge question that has been arising on debates and social media. Harshit Rana's bowling wasn't effective as the Proteas batters bashed him for 70 runs in 10 overs.

Even Prasidh Krishna got slammed for 85 runs in nine overs. The due factor was there but the bowlers' performance, line, length, and variations, weren't on point which led to India's defeat. With the last match on December 6, the hosts will have to change their strategy and go for that extra batter or bowler instead of all-rounders as per toss.

Where to watch the India vs South Africa match?

Cricket fans in India can watch the India vs South Africa 3rd ODI match online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: India’s WTC campaign suffers blow after embarrasing defeat vs SA; slips from third position

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