India wallop South Africa

Centurion : After an impressive bowling display, skipper Virat Kohli led from the front with the bat to help India beat South Africa by eight wickets in the sixth one-day international at the SuperSport Park in Centurion yesterday. Dominant India wrapped up the six-match series 5-1.

Kohli continued his great form in the series, scoring his 35th ODI century in 82 balls, as he helped India chase down the 205-run target in 32.1 overs with eight wickets in hand.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 129 off 96 balls, which included two sixes and 19 fours. And when he reached 71, Kohli became the first batsman ever to score 500 or more runs in a bilateral ODI series. Kohli finished the series with 558 runs with three centuries, a record for an Indian batsman, and one fifty in six innings. Kohli’s five innings in the series before today are - 112, 46*, 160*, 75, 36.

Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane (34 not out) took India home with an unbroken 126-run stand for the third wicket. Rahane played the second fiddle perfectly, hitting three fours in his 50-ball knock.

Chasing the modest target, India lost Rohit Sharma (15) early in the fourth over to Lungi Ngidi. But Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan added 61 runs for the second wicket in nine overs while keeping the scoring rate high. Dhawan, after a watchful 18 off 34 balls, became the second wicket of Ngidi in the 13th over.

India though reached 100-run mark in 14.3 overs. And Kohli soon raced to his 47th ODI fifty in just 36 balls, hitting nine boundaries. Kohli and Rahane made sure that there were no more hiccups in the chase. 

Earlier, Indian bowlers proved Kohli’s decision to field right as they bowled out South Africa for 204 in 46.5 overs.