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29 March 2024

India vs South Africa 2nd ODI: Dhoni fires India to series-levelling win

Published
By Cricket Correspondent & Agencies

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hammered 92 not out and skilfully marshalled his bowlers to secure a series-levelling 22-run win against South Africa in the second one-day international on Wednesday.

With India reeling at 124-6, Dhoni's decision to bat first appeared to have backfired, but the 34-year-old produced an 86-ball blitz, hitting his fourth sixth off the final ball of the innings to help the hosts to a competitive 247-9.

Dhoni then returned to neatly stump Amla, take three catches and cleverly rotate his bowlers as South Africa were all out for 225 in the 44th over.

Left-arm spinner Axar Patel claimed career-best figures of 3-39, while paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar also got three wickets as the hosts fiercely defended a modest total, aided by some smart catching.

"A lot of people wait with open sword, they want you to commit a few mistakes and have fun with it," said Dhoni, who has been under tremendous pressure with questions raging about his role in the squad.

"Overall I would not say a very good or a complete game, definitively we can play better, but it's good to win games," said the India captain after collecting the man-of-the-match award.

The Proteas had made public their plans to dismiss India's in-form batsman Rohit Sharma early and paceman Kagiso Rabada executed it in the second over of the day.

Ajinkya Rahane (51) hit his second successive fifty but India lost the top half of their batting order soon after crossing the 100-mark.

With his team in dire straits and his own reputation at stake, Dhoni let his bat do the talking as he went after the South African bowlers, helping India score 82 runs off the last 10 overs.

The visitors began their chase well but the Indians struck regularly to keep the Proteas in check at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium.

Patel wrecked the tourists' top order and Virat Kohli made amends for his batting failure by taking three catches, two of them sent back South Africa's topscorer Faf du Plessis (51) and the dangerous AB de Villiers.

"We had a good start upfront... there is enough experience among myself, (Farhaan) Behardien and (David) Miller to pull it through but unfortunately we got out soft ways tonight," said De Villiers.

Rajkot hosts the third ODI of the five-match series on Sunday.  

India rode on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 92 to post a 22-run win over South Africa at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday to keep the five ODI series alive.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India who were tottering on 165 for 7 at one stage, had to bank on Dhoni to take them to a healthy 247 for 9.

In reply, the Proteas folded for 225.

Morne Morkel c Raina b Kumar 4 (2b 1x4 0x6)

Bhuvneshwar gets the egde of Tahir and Dhoni takes his third catch.

Imran Tahir c Dhoni b Kumar 9 (12b 0x4 1x6)

Rabada punishes Mohit on the off-side for four and one down fine leg. Now the Proteas look like getting there.

SIX! Tahir silences the crowd by hoisting Harbhajan into the stands.

SA 208-7, 40 overs. India were 165-7.

Clever bowling from Harbhajan as he sends one down the leg side and Behardien who stepped out is left flummoxed and misses and Dhoni does the rest.

Farhaan Behardien c †Dhoni b Harbhajan Singh 18 (33b 0x4 0x6)

Rabada whacks Mohit Sharma to the fence to bring a sigh of relief to the SA camp.

Kohli takes his third catch, making up for what he didn't with the bat.

Dale Steyn c Kohli b Yadav 13 (16b 1x4 1x6)

SA 184-6, 35 overs. India were 138-6 at the same stage.

SIX! Steyn pulls Harbhajan for a big six. SA 176-6, 33 overs.

Kohli pulls off another brilliant catch this time to send De Villiers back to the pavilion.

AB de Villiers c Kohli b Mohit Sharma 19 (20b 1x4 1x6)

SIX! What a shot. De Viliers steps down the track and spanks Bhuveshwar over long off for six.

Patel finishes his 10 overs bagging three wickets for 39 runs.

SA 152-5, 30 overs.

SA have scored only 11 runs from their last 22 balls having lost two wickets.

Miller is gone first ball trying to fend an uppish delivery from Bhuvneshwar.

David Miller c Dhoni b Kumar 0 (1b 0x4 0x6)

Patel gets his reward by getting rid of du Plessis for his third wicket.

Faf du Plessis c Kohli b Patel 51 (56b 6x4 0x6)

Plessis is going great guns here as he reaches his half century. SA are 139-3 from 25 overs.

Axar Patel strikes to remove the dangerous Duminy. 

JP Duminy lbw b Patel 36 (46b 3x4 0x6)

SA have scored 40 in the last 26 balls.

Fours have been flowing from du Plessis' bat and the bowler to be on the receiving end is Raina..

Du Plessis looks in good nick, pulling Yadav to the ropes. SA are cruising at 110-2.

Du Plessis and Duminy bring up the 100 for SA and also a 50-run partnership. SA 103-2, 20 overs. India were 90-3.

Harbhajan gets the better of De Kock this time as he tries to loft the bowler but hits it straight into the hands of Mohit Sharman at long off. SA 52-2, 10 overs.

Quntin de Kock c Mohit Sharma b Harbhajan Singh 34 (36b 5x4 0x6)

Amla goes after Axar Patel hitting him over long on but is foxed the next ball as he step out and misses and Dhoni cleans him up.

Hashim Amla st Dhoni b Patel 17 (17b 3x4 0x6)

DROPPED! De Kock gets a life after Rohit drops him off Yaday. The bowler is made to pay as De Kock and Amla hit him for boundaries.

South Africa begin their chase on a brisk note with De Kock and Hashim Amla getting a boundary each in the first two overs.

India innings

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 92 off 86 balls to steer the hosts to 247-9 in the second one-day international in Indore on Wednesday.

India, electing to bat after winning the toss, were reduced to 124-6 in the 30th over by a relentless display of pace and spin bowling by the tourists.

Dhoni stepped in to lead the rescue act with the lower order, adding 41 for the seventh wicket with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (14) and 56 for the eighth with Harbhajan Singh (22).

The skipper finished with four sixes, including one off the final delivery from young paceman Kagiso Rabada, and seven boundaries.

Ajinkya Rahane was the only other batsman to shine with 51.

Fiery pace spearhead Dale Steyn claimed three wickets, while fast bowler Morne Morkel and leg-spinner Imran Tahir took two each.

The tourists lead the five-match series 1-0 after winning a high-scoring thriller in Kanpur by five runs on Sunday.

Rahane came to the crease in the second over after Rohit Sharma, who hit 150 in the previous match, was bowled by Rabada for three.

Rahane began by striking Steyn for three boundaries in the fifth over and reached his half-century in the 22nd over.

But he did not survive the next over as leg-spinner Imran Tahir bowled him round the legs as the batsman missed a sweep shot.

India's batting woes at the top of the order were highlighted by the run out of star batsman Virat Kohli for 12 while attempting a second run when Rahane was dropped at mid-off by Farhaan Behardien.

Both batsmen were stranded at the non-striker's end as bowler Steyn relayed Behardien's throw to wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock, who broke the stumps.

South Africa retained the winning combination, while India made three changes, bringing in Patel, seamer Mohit Sharma and Harbhajan.
The trio replaced the injured Ravichandran Ashwin, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and all-rounder Stuart Binny.

South Africa had won the preceding Twenty20 series 2-0. The one-dayers will be followed by four Test matches.

Scoreboard:

India:

R. Sharma b Rabada 3
S. Dhawan c Duminy b Morkel 23
A. Rahane b Tahir 51
V. Kohli run out 12
M. Dhoni not out 92
S. Raina c de Kock b Morkel 0
A. Patel lbw b Steyn 13
B. Kumar b Tahir 14
H. Singh c de Kock b Steyn 22
U. Yadav c de Kock b Steyn 4
M. Sharma not out 0
Extras: (lb2, w10, nb1) 13
Total (for nine wickets, 50 overs) 247
Fall of wickets: 1-3 (R. Sharma), 2-59 (Dhawan), 3-82 (Kohli), 4-102 (Rahane), 5-104 (Raina), 6-124 (Patel), 7-165 (Kumar), 8-221 (Singh), 9-225 (Yadav).
Bowling: Steyn 10-0-49-3 (w2), Rabada 10-1-49-1 (nb1, w3), Morkel 10-0-42-2 (w3), Duminy 9-0-59-0 (w1), Tahir 10-1-42-2 (w1), Behardien 1-0-4-0

Toss: India
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Vineet Kulkarni (IND)
TV umpire: CK Nandan (IND)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

India rode on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 92 to post 247 for 9 against South Africa in the second ODI at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Wednesday.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, India were tottering on 165 for 7 but Dhoni and Harbhajan (22) put on 56 runs and later the skipper with the tail pulled India out of a hole to a fighting total.

Dhoni's innings consisted of seven fours and four sixes.

For the visitors Dale Steyn bagged three wickets and Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir two apiece.

South Africa lead the series 1-0.

Steyn is a bit wayward and Dhoni is quick to punish him, hitting the speedster for a couple of boundaries..

Dhoni knows he is the only one who can get India to a fighting total and hence avoids running singles. It pays off after he hoists Rabada for a four.

Steyn is on fire now getting the edge of Yadav after he was hit for a four the previous delivery.

Umesh Yadav c de Kock b Steyn 4 (3b 1x4 0x6)

Harbhajan goes after whacking Steyn for a four but the bowler has the last laugh in the next ball getting his edge to the keeper.

Ind 212-7, 46.3 overs.

Harbhajan Singh c de Kock b Steyn 22 (22b 2x4 1x6)

SIX! Tahir is hammered here by Dhoni for a huge six over the bowler's head. Ind 212-7, 45 overs.

Dhoni plays Tahir fine down leg side to bring up India's 200.

Dhoni in top gear now lofting Duminy for a huge six to bring up his 50. Bhajji too gets into the act slamming Duminy for four and a six.

Dhoni takes on Rabada and pulls him over square leg and again through point region. The crowd chants 'Dhoni', 'Dhoni'.

Tahir finds the gap between Bhuvneshwar's bat and pad to rattle the stumps. Ind 165-7, 40 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar b Imran Tahir 14 (32b 1x4 0x6)

SIX! Dhoni pulls Duminy over square leg for a six to bring up India's 150.

Bhuvneshwar sweeps Duminy from outside the offstump towards deep fine leg for a four, which came after 44 balls.

India are on a tight leash here as the South African bowlers are giving little room to score. Dhoni too looks out of sorts, always in two minds whether to charge out and go for a big heave or stay in the crease. Ind 138-6, 35 overs.

Drinks

Patel is rapped on the pads by Steyn and is plumb out. Ind 125-6, 30 overs.

Axar Patel lbw b Steyn 13 (27b 0x4 1x6)

SIX! Patel lofts Duminy for a six. Some relief for the Indians are runs were beginning to dry up.

Ind 106-5, 25 overs.

Morkel gets Raina to edge one down the leg side and Qunton de Kock takes an easy catch. Ind 105-5, 24 overs.

Suresh Raina c de Kock b Morkel 0 (5b 0x4 0x6)

Rahane tries to sweep Tahir but is bowled round his legs by the leg-spinner. Ind 102-4, 23 overs.

Ajinkya Rahane b Imran Tahir 51 (63b 6x4 0x6)

Rahane brings up his half century with a superb chip off Morkel over wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock's head for four.

India 90-3, 20 overs.

Chaos all over for India. Rahane gets a reprieve when Behardien drops him at mid-off but Kohli in trying to go for a second run is caught in no-man's land and is fuming as he is run out with both batsmen stranded at the non-striker's end.

Virat Kohli run out 12 (18b 0x4 0x6)

Drinks

India 68-2, 15 overs.

Slower ball from Morkel and Dhawan chips it into the waiting hands of Duminy. Ind 59-2, 12.3 overs.

Shikhar Dhawan c Duminy b Morkel 23 (34b 4x4 0x6)

SA introduce spin but Duminy is welcomed by Dhahwan with a cracking four nd Rahane cuts him through covers but Behardien makes a good stop on the boundary line.

Rahane pulls Rabada through mid-wicket. India 44-1, 10 overs.

Dhawan drives Morkel straight for another boundary from his over.

Fine shot from Rahane again as he pulls a high-rising ball from the tall Morkel over cover, safe shot.

Dhawan spanks Rabada through covers for a boundary.

Rahane stands tall and punches Steyn twice through covers and one through the leg side to get the crowd on their feet.

Dhawan caresses Rabada through covers for four, what a sweetly-timed drive.

Rohit Sharma is beaten by the pace of Rabada and is cleaned up. Ind 3-1 in 1.4 overs.

Rohit Sharma b Rabada 3 (10b 0x4 0x6)

Dhoni makes three changes to his team that lost the first ODI. R Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Stuart Binny have been replaced by Mohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel.

De Villiers is all too happy to go with his winning combination.

Teams

India

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav.

South Africa

Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir.

Preview

India will seek to bounce back in the second one-day international against South Africa at Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

This is the first meeting between the two teams at a venue renowned for producing a feast of runs.

"The wicket looks good. High scoring games have been a trend here. In the last match we played here, Virender Sehwag got a double hundred. It is a high scoring ground," said India's Rohit Sharma.

"It looks like a very good track. Average score here is around 300. That will be a benchmark again. If you bat well, you might end getting over 350 also," he added.

India are still licking their wounds after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in Kanpur on Sunday.

South Africa pulled off a thrilling five-run victory after some impressive bowling in the death overs by spinner Imran Thahir rookie paceman Kagiso Rabada.

After South African skipper AB de Villiers struck an unbeaten 104, India were cruising towards the target at 269-3 at one stage but imploded spectacularly despite a swasbuckling 150 by Rohit Sharma.

"Things like this can happen but there are no excuses. We want to strive hard as a team. If we want to be the No.1 team we cannot commit these kinds of mistakes. I hope we won't keep repeating the same mistakes, that's what a champion side doesn't do. We all are mature enough to go handle such
situations," said Sharma who admitted India's death bowling and finishing abilities were still a concern.

India leaked 86 runs in the last six overs when AB de Villiers was on song and then failed to finish with 35 needed off 24 balls.

This loss, after consecutive defeats in the Twenty20 games, has put skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni under the scanner with former Indian players criticising him.

However, former Indian great Sunil Gavaskar has sprung to the defence of Dhoni.

"It is unfortunate that he has been made a scapegoat. Nobody is raising questions against the performance of players like Shikhar (Dhawan), Suresh (Raina), Virat (Kohli), Binny (Stuart). Everyone seems to be ignoring the performance of the bowlers as well. The entire blame has been put on Dhoni. It is unfortunate. I feel he is good enough to play for another three to five years," Gavaskar told NDTV.


Dhoni took a portion of the blame on Sunday, considering his experience and success as a finisher in ODI cricket, after India failed to get 11 off the final over bowled by young Rabada.

India were also hurt after losing almost six overs from spinner Ashwin due to a side sprain.

Axar Patel or Harbhajan Singh is likely to take Ashwin's place if he is not fit.

India and South Africa have never played against each other at the Holkar Stadium, which has hosted just three ODIs.

The last time an ODI was played here was in December 2011, when Virender Sehwag's 219 set up a 153-run win over West Indies.

In three ODIs here, India are unbeaten.