1st ODI
South Africa 269/8 (50 ov)
India 270/4 (45.3/50 ov)
India won by 6 wickets (with 27 balls remaining)
He wanted to bat first at the toss. He was then rolling on the floor not laughing when his knee jammed into the Durban outfield. He might even have been peeved that his fast bowlers, so reliable at home, had turned liabilities for a few hours. But put a bat in Virat Kohli's hands, tell him he has to lead a tough chase, and just watch him go.
There is a template, and it appears to work regardless of opposition, and of conditions. Step one, intimidate. Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada were nudging 145 kph and above but he stood outside his crease and charged at them. Step two, keep the ball on the ground. Batting second is largely about risk-assessment. And this trick takes the possibility of being caught out of the picture. He's rarely ever lbw so that's two modes of dismissals negated. But for all this to come together, he has to run like the wind. There is, sometimes, collateral damage - Shikhar Dhawan tonight - but otherwise the people tearing their hair out mostly belong to the opposition. Step three, exploit the slightest weakness, aka South Africa's fifth bowler. Kohli barely gave Andile Phehlukwayo breathing room, and it was by flaying him through point and then through cover that he raised his 33rd ODI century. Over the past five years, he has made one every five innings. Kohli has made the extraordinary look normal for quite a while in one-day cricket.
"It's a lot of fun," he said at the end of it all with a perfectly straight face. You would think he was talking about going to a movie, or eating ice-cream. With this score of 112, Kohli has made centuries in each of the nine countries in which he has played 50-overs cricket.
Ajinkya Rahane was at the other end for most of that knock, and his 79 off 86 was no less significant. Given a resounding endorsement to take the No. 4 slot a day before the match, he came out with India wobbling. The score was 67 for 2 and there were 37 overs left. Another wicket would have opened up the middle order, which is filled with players who were yet to bat in these conditions on this tour. South Africa had a chance, but to convert it, they needed Imran Tahir to be as effective as India's wristspinners had been.
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, playing in tandem for the first time outside the subcontinent, on a pitch that did not afford any turn, brought the scoring rate down and spurred second thoughts in the batsman's mind as they claimed five wickets for a mere 79 runs. Tahir was economical too, but that was all he was.
Rahane and Kohli completely negated the opposition's biggest threat in the middle overs during their 189-run partnership. South Africa tried to do the same earlier in the day but found it rather more difficult. They had been 79 for 1 in 14 overs when India turned to spin at both ends. And they sunk to 134 for 5 by the time the stranglehold relented.
That was when Faf du Plessis took over. He knew the recovery would take time, and that he had to be present every step of the way. The job required patience and diligence and skill, and the South African captain was not found wanting, despite that bad back of his flaring up. Du Plessis was 91 not out in his previous ODI when he had to retire hurt because of it. This time he simply wouldn't let it - or the Indian bowlers - win. The Durban crowd were bowled over; the noise they made when he took strike on 99 was nothing short of poignant.
As hard as he applied himself, du Plessis looked every bit as awkward as anyone facing the wristspinners; his strike-rate against Kuldeep was 63.63. And he could have been lbw on 18 if India had chosen to double-check an appeal from Chahal in the 13th over. Given that slice of luck, he worked hard not to need another, forced to do so because the South African middle order simply fell limp. JP Duminy tried cutting a wrong 'un and was bowled. David Miller played away from his body and was caught at short cover. All they needed was survive the spinners and India would be forced to bring back their quicks, who were far easier to handle considering there was no sideways movement.
Du Plessis collected 82 runs off 60 balls from the seamers, and was particularly brutal on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, as a strike-rate of 189 showed. His 120 ended up looking like an aberration on the South African scorecard; the next best contribution was 37 and no one who faced more than 20 balls managed a strike-rate anywhere near his 107.14. It was a masterful innings, just not a match-winning one.
2nd ODI
South Africa 118 (32.2/50 ov)
India 119/1 (20.3/50 ov)
India won by 9 wickets (with 177 balls remaining)
Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared eight wickets between them at SuperSport Park, taking their total for the series to 13, as South Africa's biggest weakness was brutally exposed once again. Against wristspin, their line-up is close to clueless, especially without two of their leading batsmen. In the absence of the injured Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers, the hosts folded for their lowest ODI total at home, and their eighth-lowest overall.
Twenty-three-year-old Aiden Markram's international leadership debut on his home ground should have been the stuff of dreams, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. South Africa lost their first four wickets for 12 runs in the space of 26 balls and, after a very short period of rebuilding, their next six for 19 runs in 36 balls and were bowled out inside 33 overs. And just like that India cantered to a 2-0 series lead, although not before the players had wandered off for the scheduled interval break with just two runs required for victory.
Virat Kohli chose to put South Africa in because he expected some early movement with two new balls; the hosts were happy to bowl second, anticipating turn in the afternoon. But they did not have to wait that long to see what spinners could do on a surface that will doubtless come under the spotlight again, for failing to play the home team's advantage.
South Africa had a quiet start as Hashim Amla tried to anchor one end while Quinton de Kock was in the wars at the other. The first ball de Kock faced, bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, dribbled onto his stumps off a block but the bails were not dislodged. The second was a bouncer, in the vicinity of his throat, and the third struck him on the left hand.
De Kock got off the mark with a hook shot but continued to play tentatively and it was up to Amla to up the ante. That wasn't easy against the Indian openers and Amla flirted with danger when he edged one over the top of second slip but seemed to settle with a gorgeous cover drive.
South Africa would have seen out the Powerplay wicket-less and scoring at around four runs to the over but Amla - anticipating a fuller delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and shaping up to flay through the offside - was dismissed off a back-of-a-length ball that nipped back into him and took the edge as it passed through the bat-pad gap. Amla uncharacteristically reviewed, but replays showed he had to go.
De Kock lasted three more overs and never looked comfortable at the crease or with his equipment. He called for bat tape for an issue with the bottom of his bat and it was exactly that spot that got him into trouble when he tried to pull Chahal over midwicket but only found the fielder.
Sensing an opportunity to burrow into South Africa, Kohli brought on Kuldeep in the next over. His first ball was a half-tracker that Markram smacked in the air to deep midwicket where Bhuvneshwar was waiting. His fifth was tossed up, inviting the drive from David Miller, who came forward as the ball dipped in and edged to slip.
South Africa went from 39 without loss to 51 for 4. JP Duminy, the senior-most batsman in the line-up, had yet to face a ball and was out there with Khaya Zondo who was on debut. Duminy watched from the other end for 16 deliveries before his turn came. He and Zondo, who played calmly despite the situation, shared in a fifth-wicket stand of 48 and were allowed some reprieve when Kohli brought Hardik Pandya on in place of Chahal. They got to 95 for 4 at the halfway stage but then Chahal was brought back, Zondo's eyes lit up to a slow, wide ball outside off, and he slog-swept to midwicket to leave Duminy with only Chris Morris and the tail.
In Chahal's next over, Duminy was out lbw on the sweep. He wanted to review but Amla had used the only chance, and, even if Duminy did, it would have been in vain. The ball drifted from leg to pitch on middle and would have gone on to hit the stumps.
From there, it was a procession. Kuldeep trapped Kagiso Rabada lbw after Rabada failed to pick the wrong 'un, and he had Morne Morkel dropped at mid-on the next ball. Morkel only lasted five more balls before he too fell to spin; he played against the turn to Chahal and was out lbw.
Imran Tahir was bowled by Bumrah and Morris holed out to deep cover to give Chahal his maiden ODI five-for, the best figures by an Indian bowler against South Africa in South Africa, and the second-best by an Indian against South Africa ever. To add insult to injury, India knocked off all but 21 runs of the target by the time of the scheduled lunch break, and play was extended by 15 minutes to allow the result to be achieved. But because it wasn't, the players left the field for lunch with India needing two runs to win from 31 overs.
That farce aside, India did not face too many issues in the field. When play resumed, they quickly got the winning runs with a bit of a mis-hit behind square. Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli took India there, with a second-wicket stand of 93 runs, with Dhawan providing the match's only half-century. South Africa only had one moment of success, when Kagiso Rabada had Rohit Sharma caught at fine leg off a bouncer in the fourth over. Rabada was the only bowler to show some intent and hit Kohli in the stomach, but South Africa needed much more. They did not even have enough runs to assess whether their decision to field two specialist spinners would have paid off, but the 18 runs Tabraiz Shamsi conceded in three overs suggests India were more than ready for the challenge.
3rd ODI
India 303/6 (50 ov)
South Africa 179 (40/50 ov)
India won by 124 runs
Virat Kohli ensured India will have some share of the silverware as he took them to unassailable 3-0 lead in the ODI series. Kohli scored his second century in three matches, his third on India's tour of South Africa and more than half India's total of 303 before his bowlers did the rest, or should that be wrist?
South Africa's line-up, riddled with inexperience, was again spun out by Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. With eight wickets between them, the pair took their series tally to 21. They have claimed but all but seven of the South African wickets across three matches. Their wickets at Newlands came at a cost just 69 runs, and through the series, they have conceded 190 runs and taken their wickets at an average of 9.05.
The hosts had serious problems, which started when they decided to bowl first on a surface where everything screams bat. Perhaps, it was the knowledge that India fancy themselves to chase just about anything and the ghosts of their previous two batting performances still swirling. But South Africa decided to save their weaker suit upfront and were witness to a Kohli masterclass instead, but not before they had an opportunity to dismiss him for a duck.
After Kagiso Rabada removed Rohit Sharma in the opening over, he had Kohli given out lbw off the third ball of his second over but the India captain reviewed. Replays showed Kohli had hit the ball as he attempted a flick. The on-field decision was overturned and so were South Africa's fortunes.
At the other end, debutant Lungi Ngidi struggled to pull his length back and India's batsmen capitalised. The visitors reached 50 in 10 overs with 40 via boundaries.
Andile Phehluwayo's opening over, full but wider outside off than Ngidi had been, promised to plug the flow of runs, but he lost his line after that. Morris tried the short ball but with Dhawan well set, only drinks could stop the runs momentarily. India were 87 for 1 after 16 overs.
Imran Tahir was introduced after the interval but Dhawan swept his second ball to the deep square leg boundary to bring up his fifty off 42 balls. Dhawan then swiped the fifth ball to the midwicket boundary to put Tahir under further pressure. Ngidi's second spell went significantly worse than his opening one. His first four overs cost 29 runs and his next two 18 to leave Aiden Markram with no choice but to turn to JP Duminy.
While offspin is meat and drink to India's line-up, Duminy was able to toss the ball up and slow it down and it brought some results. He had Dhawan chipping a catch to short midwicket in his second over to end a 140-run second-wicket stand that came at 6.31 runs an over. Five overs later Ajinkya Rahane was beaten in flight as he stepped out and holed out to long-off.
South Africa established something of a squeeze between the 20th and 40th over, in which they conceded 105 runs but Kohli was there throughout, accumulating steadily. In all, 100 of his 160 came through singles, twos, and threes. He had brought up his 34th ODI hundred off 119 balls when he nudged a double to fine leg.
Duminy completed a full quota of 10 overs for the first time since July 2013, and only the fifth time in his 182-match ODI career, returning 2 for 60.
India entered the final 10 overs on 223 for 4 and despite Tahir and Phehluwayo's dismissals of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadav respectively, Kohli accelerated. He brought up 1000 ODI runs against South Africa, 150 of 157 balls and helped India score 47 off the final five overs to top 300.
A target so steep demanded something much more than South Africa have offered so far and the early loss of Hashim Amla only made it tougher. Amla was deep in the crease when he missed a Jasprit Bumrah ball that slanted in from off stump and struck him on the pad. He considered a review but eventually decided against it and left Markram to lean on Duminy instead.
A 78-run stand followed with glimpses of promise from Markram and maturity from Duminy, who went on to score his first fifty in 21 ODIs, since October 2016, but the pair only kept South Africa in the chase for a short while. Once Markram was stumped off Kuldeep, South Africa's soft underbelly was exposed.
Heinrich Klaasen then missed a flick and was out lbw to Chahal and 15 balls later, Duminy went the same way, struck in front of leg stump. With the asking rate mounting, David Miller heaved and was caught behind off Bumrah to leave South Africa 129 for 5. They lost their last five wickets for 50 runs and may now look to a change in personnel ahead of the next three games. South Africa will announce the squad for the remainder of the series on Thursday with AB de Villiers expected to return from a finger injury.
4th ODI
India 289/7 (50 ov)
South Africa 207/5 (25.3/28 ov, target: 202)
South Africa won by 5 wickets (with 15 balls remaining) (D/L method)
It was thrill-a-minute at the Bull Ring, testing the mettle of both teams mettle and the nerves of packed crowd. For the longest time, India were dominant, Shikhar Dhawan's 109 leading the way. Then lightning struck, literally, to stop play and allow South Africa some time to regroup. Led by a miserly Kagiso Rabada, they conceded only 92 runs in the last 16 overs and earned themselves a target of 290. That was top work considering the Wanderers rarely entertains ODI chases of less than 300.
And there would be more. Rain reduced the game to 28 overs and South Africa were told they needed 202 to keep the series alive. It was under this pressure - with their two best batsmen already dismissed - that they played shots that were absolutely jaw dropping and won moments that were nothing short of match-changing. At the centre of it all was a newbie.
Heinrich Klaasen, the stand-in wicketkeeper, took a ball of wristspin - you know, the thing that's made South Africa spontaneously combust in this series - from outside the cut strip and pulled it for a one-bounce four to square leg. He then launched a free hit delivery so far into the night sky that it came down with a bit of star dust. An unbeaten 43 off 27 in a highest of pressure scenarios to seal victory is a grand return.
David Miller, at the other end, was equally destructive. He even one-upped his partner, sending a six so far into the crowd that the ball had to be changed. Clearly, he hasn't taken too well to India making him look like a walking wicket. Ironically, it was after he was bowled neck and crop by Yuzvendra Chahal, off a no-ball, that he unfurled his full and devastating power. By the end of the night, India's wristspinners nursed figures that read 6-0-51-2 and 5.3-0-68-1.
India would feel rather hard done by considering the weather in Johannesburg played a part in spoiling their batting effort in the middle overs and returned later in the day to give South Africa the kind of clarity that they did not seem capable of when playing Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav earlier in the series. It was hit out or get out and with almost nothing to lose, Klaasen and Miller indulged in batting that was very near maniacal. Andile Phehlukwayo was worse. He faced five balls, and walked back with 23 runs, including the winning hit.
Those cameos put the highest scorer of the day wondering what if. Bowlers cramping Dhawan for room is normal in any form of cricket. His abandoning that trademark, off-side dominant game and still managing to be a threat? Not so much. A century on his 100th ODI needs no added frills, not after it came with the addendum that he was the first Indian to do so, but sending out a message that he isn't as one-dimensional as he seems must have felt sweet.
South Africa did not allow him any runs on the cut until the 43rd delivery he faced. He went for the shot often enough, and was lucky to avoid chopping onto his stumps, but eventually decided that there were other ways to score and he was good enough to exploit them. At one point, he was 85 off only 75 balls, with flicks reminiscent of Sanath Jayasuriya and drives - the first one especially - that could fit into a Matthew Hayden highlight reel. Dhawan made 69 runs in the arc from long-on to long leg, and only 21 between long-off and third man.
But with India on 197 for 2 in the 35th over, a break in play for nearly an hour upset the momentum to such an extent that their top-scorer ended up spooning a catch to mid-off seven balls after play resumed. No sooner had Dhawan walked back that Ajinkya Rahane pulled a short ball straight to deep midwicket. Suddenly, two new batsmen were at the crease: Shreyas Iyer, playing his first innings on this tour and MS Dhoni, who needs time early in his innings to be properly destructive.
South Africa recognised their chance, which was a miracle in itself considering Virat Kohli has had them under his thumb this series. He was outstanding on Saturday too, moving to fifth place on the list of top ODI run-getters for India, but his wicket for 75 in the 32nd over, minutes before the weather soured, changed the game.
Rabada had a lower-middle order in front of him. And he turned so very hostile. He didn't care that he held an older ball in his hand, didn't care that it wasn't zipping through as before, he kept digging it hard into the pitch, cramping batsmen and hitting them on the body. His final five overs - bowled from the 33rd to the 49th - cost only 28 runs and yielded only one boundary.
Rabada also took out India's hitter Hardik Pandya - with ample help from Aiden Markram. South Africa's stand-in captain was at cover when a full-blooded slash came his way. He took a split second to position himself, then leapt back, stuck his right hand up and pulled off a screamer that would have had the man he was standing in for - Faf du Plessis - nodding with approval. With Rabada in charge of the final 10 overs, India could scramble only 59 runs. Even Dhoni could only get seven runs off 10 balls in the head-to-head.
South Africa ended the day with a sixth straight victory on pink day, while off the field, 1.6 million Rand was raised to fight breast cancer.
5th ODI
India 274/7
South Africa 201
India win by 73 runs
India have won their first bilateral series in South Africa across any format bar a one-off T20, with victory in the fifth ODI in Port Elizabeth. Their success in the series has been fashioned by their wristspinners, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav, who have taken 30 out of the 43 South African wickets to fall in five matches, at an average of 13.63.
Chahal and Kuldeep shared six wickets between them at St George's Park, where India defended a below-par total in a messy effort in the field that still managed to force a South African collapse. The hosts lost 6 for 31 to crash from 166 for 4 in the 35th over to being bowled out inside 43 overs and only have a win in a rain-shortened match in Johannesburg to show for their efforts.
India, on the other hand, have plenty to celebrate including the form of Rohit Sharma. After Virat Kohli in the first and third ODIs and Shikhar Dhawan in the fourth, finally Rohit, who did not manage a half-century in eight innings on this tour or over 20 in the ODIs, raised his bat to a hundred. But his innings was not without its drama.
Rohit witnessed two run-outs at the other end, including that of Kohli, survived a review, was dropped on 96 and then his dismissal sparked a mini-collapse in which India lost four wickets for 29 to finish with 274 for 7. India only scored 78 runs in the last 15 overs and South Africa would have fancied their chances,
The early battle lines were drawn between Kagiso Rabada and Shikhar Dhawan with the former ramping up his pace to 150kph and the latter dealing in boundaries. Dhawan scored all but two of his 34 runs in fours and took five of them off Rabada, who gave him an animated send-off.
At the other end, Rohit could have just been content with keeping Rabada at bay, given that Rabada had dismissed him in six out of eight innings on this tour. But Rohit was not merely content. He launched Rabada over long-on to show early intent and went on to take on the short balls, which Lungi Ngidi offered generously in his opening spell.
JP Duminy and Tabraiz Shamsi bowled in tandem for eight overs but their attempts to create pressure were stymied by the penchant for boundary balls. They conceded 49 runs in that time and it was only some quick work in the field that slowed India down.
Ultimately, Duminy removed Kohli but not in the way he would have imagined. Rohit tapped a Morkel delivery off the back foot and refused a run but Kohli was already on his way. Duminy had enough time to collect the ball from point and underarm it directly onto the stumps.
Kohli's dismissal quietened Rohit and India only scored 23 runs off the next 38 balls before Ajinkya Rahane was run-out. He was left stranded after tapping the ball to Morkel at mid-on; Rohit once again was not keen on the quick single.
If India were aiming for 300, Rohit needed to rebuild with the middle and lower order but getting his own milestone appeared to be the first mission and South Africa seemed determined to deny him. They appealed for caught behind when Rohit pulled Andile Phehlukwayo on 90 and reviewed the umpire's call of not out but replays showed the ball had hit the thigh pad. On 96, Rohit ramped and offered a straightforward catch to Shamsi, who could not hold on. Rohit's hundred eventually came up off 107 balls at the end of the 36th over, giving him enough time to make it really count.
But he could not. Instead, there was almost another run-out, that of Shreyas Iyer, some tentative nudging and nurdling and then Rohit was undone by extra bounce from Ngidi and caught behind. Hardik Pandya bottom-edged the next ball to Heinrich Klaasen and Iyer top-edged Ngidi to the wicketkeeper as well. India lost three wickets for two runs in 13 balls and needed MS Dhoni to finish off but as has been the case throughout the series, he could not get going.
The opposite was true for Hashim Amla, who made his first score of significance in the ODI series and kept South Africa in the game until he too, was run-out. Amla's intent was obvious from the third ball when he slashed Bhuvneshwar Kumar past backward point for four.
Iyer, whose memory of dropping David Miller at the Wanderers must be fresh, put down Aiden Markram at extra cover. Markram was on 9 when he drilled the drive to Iyer and started to play as though he would make India pay but not for too long. He was caught at midwicket two balls before the end of the Powerplay.
India almost had another wicket off the next ball but Duminy's inside edge fell just short of Dhoni. Exactly six balls later, Duminy edged Pandya to slip but Pandya's bigger contributions were yet to come. In his next over, he had AB de Villiers caught behind and South Africa were reduced to 65 for 3.
Amla had David Miller to keep the required run rate in check and the pair accumulated steadily. They shared a 62-run fourth-wicket stand and tried to rotate strike against India's wristspinners. Miller survived an lbw review off Chahal, hit him for six and on the hand but Chahal also produced some deliveries Miller knew nothing about. He was eventually bowled by one such ball, which meandered towards him with the pace of a Port Elizabeth day (read 'slow') and crashed into his stumps.
By then, Amla had been let off on 38, by Rahane at short point off Pandya, and India were already racking up what-should-have-beens which would only have grown longer as Amla batted on. His first fifty of the series came off 72 balls. With Klaasen at the other end, despite the climbing run rate, South Africa would have been confident that they could accelerate with wickets in hand.
It was only when Amla was run-out, by the smallest of margins when he failed to get any part of his bat over the line after setting off for a hasty single off Bhuvneshwar, that the task began to look too tough. Pandya was the fielder and his direct hit of the non-striker's stumps sent South Africa into freefall. The next five wickets fell in 47 balls, all to wristspin and three in four balls in Kuldeep's last over.
6th ODI
South Africa 204 (46.5/50 ov)
India 206/2 (32.1/50 ov)
India won by 8 wickets (with 107 balls remaining)
Confidence and form are two of the most influential factors in batting. They often dictate timing and placement, requisites for scoring runs. South Africa have lacked both after their sub-par performances this series. Therefore, in good batting conditions in Centurion, South Africa's batsmen grappled with their own lack of confidence and India's disciplined bowling, resulting in another mediocre total. Shardul Thakur, playing his first match of the series, led another clinical display from India with figures of 4 for 52 as South Africa were bowled out for 204.
On the other end of that form spectrum lies Virat Kohli. With 429 runs in five games prior to the final ODI, Kohli was oozing confidence. Against a jaded bowling attack, and with all that belief, his 35th ODI hundred was almost a formality. It helped India coast to an eight-wicket win, and take the six-match series 5-1. Kohli finished with 558 runs in six matches, the most by a batsman in a bilateral series.
Just like in the second ODI at the same venue, South Africa began cautiously to suss out conditions early. What their openers, Hashim Amla and Aiden Markram, found was a surface that was sluggish, with strokes on the up taking the inside and outside halves of the bat. In the thin air of the Highveld and under some pressure, Amla saw an opportunity to hit Thakur over fine leg for six in the seventh over. His attempt to pull, from bottom to top to get underneath the ball, cost him a fraction of a second, and he could only strangle a leg-side delivery to the keeper.
Markram played some fluent strokes, including a well-timed six over square leg, but like in Port Elizabeth he was caught in the circle trying to force the pace. He was caught, looking to clear cover, a shot that was preceded by two languid drives off overpitched deliveries that found the same fielder.
South Africa's best period of batting followed, with AB de Villiers and Khaya Zondo attacking India's wristspinners. In the 18th over, de Villiers hit Kuldeep for three successive fours - a drive through point, an inside-edge just past the stumps, and a reverse sweep. Zondo pulled Yuzvendra Chahal for two sixes over midwicket in the next over. They had added 62 off 65 balls before de Villiers missed a straight, flat delivery, trying to cut.
Zondo and Heinrich Klaasen, after the loss of South Africa's best ODI batsman and with a fragile middle order to follow, were overly cautious, accumulating 30 in 58 balls. Klaasen then drilled a slower delivery to short cover. Farhaan Behardien, playing his first match of the series, holed out to third man in the next over. Zondo's spirited fight ended when he chipped Chahal to sweeper cover, for 54. South Africa's score hadn't progressed much since de Villiers' dismissal and their momentum had been sucked out.
Andile Phehlukwayo and Morne Morkel pleased the sparse Centurion crowd with an exciting 36-run partnership, the second-highest of the innings. Then Morkel scythed a cut to sweeper cover, and Imran Tahir and Phehlukwayo were caught off slower balls. Even though they did reasonably well against the wristspinners - scoring 89 runs for three wickets off 20 overs - South Africa fell well below the target they must have aimed at, ending up with 19 unutilised deliveries.
Fresh off a match-winning hundred, Rohit Sharma began the chase with a few exquisite cuts behind and in front of point. South Africa's short-ball ploy worked as he gloved a bouncer from Lungi Ngidi to the keeper. They persisted with that length thereafter which, on a slow pitch, was always fraught with risk.
Kohli pounced on that length. With attacking fields and the short deliveries sitting up, Kohli laid into cross-batted strokes on either side of the pitch. He blazed away to 38 off 25. Dhawan, on the other hand, struggling for timing, was 14 off 30. Dhawan's 34 ball struggle ended when he nailed a cut to backward point, for 18, South Africa's last moment of respite in an effortless chase.
Kohli and Rahane added an unbeaten 129 off just 117 balls. Rahane contributed 34 off 50 balls, playing adeptly around the belligerence of Kohli. In stark contrast to his usual mode of operation in ODIs, Kohli's ton was filled with boundaries: 19 fours and two sixes, making up 68.21% of his runs. The trouble he faced in mustering all those runs, though, was nearly zero.
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