It has been back-to-back big-scoring thrillers, and this time the Proteas emerged victorious in Raipur.
India started brightly again, and some wayward lines and lengths from the South African bowlers only helped them further. However, Rohit Sharma’s fast start came to an end quickly as he fell behind.
But the stars of the show were undoubtedly Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was playing his first ODI series in two years.
Kohli reached his 53rd ODI ton, which was the tenth time he has scored consecutive ODI tons in two matches.
Gaikwad reached his maiden century a little quicker, and the Proteas bowlers all took their share of punishment along the way.
After both their dismissals, India lost some momentum but a 43-ball 66 from stand-in skipper KL Rahul ensured a solid finish. The pacers managed to pull things back a bit at the back, but India were already north of 350 at half-time.
The chase did not get off to an ideal start, with another flop for Quinton de Kock. Fortunately, Aiden Markram and captain Temba Bavuma were able to dig in and build a century stand when it was desperately needed. Prasidh Krishna eventually broke the stands, but Matthew Breetzke at number 4 kept the ball rolling.
The highlight was Aiden Markram reaching a brilliant 4th century. His innings expertly led more than half of the chase, but just as the visitors took the lead, Harshit Rana sent him back with a slower bouncer.
But make no mistake: it was a familiar arrival for the entertainer, Dewald Brevis. The powerful right-hander hit 5 maximums in his 54, taking the asking price below 8. On the other hand, what seemed like smooth sailing for SA would end up being risky at the death.
Kuldeep Yadav allowed Brevis to hole out too long, and Prasidh Krishna trapped Breetzke LBW. Suddenly there were two new batters on the crease. Marco Jansen was the next to leave, as an ill-advised big player went straight to the long-off.
And with Tony de Zorzi retiring due to a hamstring strain, things got nervous. But an unbeaten 29-ball from Corbin Bosch at number 8 sealed the deal under pressure. It may have been less than a run a ball, but the runs from Bosch’s bat were gold dust.
Game 3 is on Saturday in Visakhapatnam and we will see who has the upper hand in this pulsating ODI series.
IND 358/5 in 50 overs (Gaikwad 105, Kohli 102 – Jansen 10-0-63-2)
SA 362/6 in 49.2 overs (Markram 110, Breetzke 68, Brevis 54 – Arshdeep 10–0-54-2)
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