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South Africa suffered their biggest loss (243 runs) in the history of ODI cricket as they got bundled out for a paltry 83 against India in a one-sided top-of-the-table clash at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 5. Virat Kohli (101 off 121 balls) led India’s charge in the game and scored his 49th ODI ton to equal Sachin Tendulkar in scoring the most number of ODI centuries.
Electing to bat first, India got off to an absolute flyer as skipper Rohit Sharma took the South African seamers down in the powerplay. His opening partner Shubman Gill played some sensible cricket and ensured that Rohit had the most of the strike early on.
It was Rohit’s early onslaught that pushed South Africa on the back foot and left Temba Bavuma scratching his head. Rohit fell while trying to accelerate and was caught at mid-off while trying to put Kagiso Rabada away down the ground. However, the India captain had already done enough damage, scoring 40 off 24 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes.
Rohit fell in the sixth over and was soon joined by Shubman Gill in the dressing room as the youngster was outfoxed by Keshav Maharaj in the 11th over of the Indian innings at an individual score of 23.
After losing Gill, India were desperate for a solid partnership and it came in the form of a 134-run stand for the third wicket. The partnership between Virat and Shreyas Iyer (77 off 87 balls) kept the South African spinners Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi at bay and propelled India to an impressive total.
It was the introduction of Lungi Ngidi in the 37th over that brought an end to the stand and forced Iyer to make his way to the dressing room. Virat was unfazed by Shreyas’ dismissal and led India’s charge with the bat despite losing wickets around him.
The Delhi-born scored his 49th ODI ton in the 49th over of India’s innings and helped the Men in Blue score 326 for the loss of five wickets with Ravindra Jadeja helping the team’s cause as he he scored 29* off 15, including three fours and a maximum.
In reply, South African batters fell like nine pins as Jadeja spread webs around them and bagged a match-winning five-wicket haul.
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