Thanks to skipper Virat Kohli’s splendid century that India registered yet another emphatic win against the hosts, South Africa, by 8 wickets in the sixth One Day International, winning the series by 5-1.
Batting first, South Africa had posted 204 all out in 46.5 overs with Khayelihle Zondo being the highest scorer with 54 runs. No other South African batsman was able to cross the fifty mark. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the Indian bowler as he finished 4 for 52 in 8.5 overs.
India achieved the required target in just 32.1 overs for the loss of two wickets. Captain Kohli remained not out with 129 runs off just 96 balls. He was declared Man of the Match for his fine knock.
Kohli said, “It was a day where I felt really good. From the word go, I felt really good. It always feels nice when the runs come off. They had to try something to get me out. Getting short balls early was a blessing in disguise for me. The surface played really well under lights. It was a delight to bat on. It’s been a roller coaster for me. My wife has been keeping me motivated throughout this run.
“It’s all about being in a good zone. You want to lead from the front. Winning the series is a great feeling. I’ve got 8 or 9 years left in my career, so I want to make the most of it. There’s no bigger honour than captaining your country. I put my head down and keep working hard every day. The guys have shown a lot of character, particularly the two young spinners. It all bodes well for us. There’s still 3 T20s to go which we are looking forward to. The first two Tests, we were not happy with ourselves. From the 3rd Test, we’ve taken forward the momentum. It’s been a total team effort.”
South African skipper, Aiden Markram said, “It was quite a tough series. We’ll have to look back and try and find some reasoning. I hope the T20 side bounce back and do the country proud. India cashed in when they had a chance. It’s something we can learn from. We will try to take some positives. If there is a time to learn, that is now. Our next ODI series is a few months away, so it’s a chance for us to regroup.”