India overpower SA in 2nd ODI, level series: Key stats
India trounced South Africa by seven wickets in the second of three-match series on Sunday. Shreyas Iyer (113*) and Ishan Kishan (93) took on the Protea attack thereby curtailing the chase (282/3). Earlier, SA racked up 278/7, courtesy of flamboyant knocks from Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks. Mohammed Siraj (3/38) was the best bet among Indian bowlers. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Opting to bat, SA faced early blows and were reduced to 40/2 at the end of Powerplay. Hendricks then fetched a 129-run stand with Markram, piloting SA past 160. David Miller (35*) added the finishing touch as SA inched close to 280. In exchange, India lost Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill in Powerplay. However, the Indian middle-order were valiant to get the job done.
Kishan puts up career-best effort
Kishan was criticized heavily for a lackluster 20(37) in the last game. He bounced back and how, slapping an 84-ball 93 laced with four fours and seven sixes. Kishan, who was playing only his eighth ODI, stitched a 161-run stand with Iyer to truncate the chase. Having slammed his third ODI fifty, the Patna-born has steered to 257 runs at 36.71.
Markram delivers the needful
SA were in a spot of bother and needed a Markram masterclass to stay afloat. The talented batter rose to the occasion, bashing an 89-ball 79. He slammed seven fours and a six before being trumped by Washington Sundar in the 39th over. He clocked his fifth fifty in the format. Overall, Markram has 1,079 runs in his kitty, averaging 29.16.
Fourth ODI fifty for Hendricks
Hendricks, who featured in his first game on the tour underway, dished out a crisp 74 off 76 deliveries. He belted nine fours and a six and struck at over 97.00. Hendricks, who came in at 7/1, stitched a mammoth 129-run stand with Markram to get the visitors past 160. With his fourth ODI fifty, he has now raced to 639 runs at 27.78.
Sensational Siraj dazzles in Ranchi
Siraj (3/38) is enjoying red-hot form this year, having raced to 16 scalps in ODIs at 25.93. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz wound up with 1/54 on his ODI debut. Off-spinner Sundar, who replaced an injured Deepak Chahar for the remaining SA ODIs, claimed 1/60. Meanwhile, Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur snapped up a wicket each.
Iyer creams the visitors
Iyer took the SA attack to the cleaners as he notched his second ODI ton (111-ball 113*), hitting a whopping 15 fours. He now owns 1,271 runs at 47.07. His last six ODI scores read 80, 54, 63, 44, 50, and 113*.
India better their record against SA
The Men in Blue have snapped up their four-match losing streak versus SA in ODI cricket. Prior to the concluded fixture, India last won against the Proteas in the 2019 ICC World Cup. Also, India have bettered their ODI record against their rivals to 36-50 (NR: 3). The hosts would look to grab hold of the series in the decider on October 11.
