Rohit Sharma hit 11 fours and 4 sixes © AFP
Rohit Sharma
was the latest in India's batting triumvirate at the top to be amongst
the runs, as he brushed off an indifferent run of scores in this ODI
series to get 115.
But Sharma's 17th ODI ton was enough only to get India towards a big
total. India's all-too-familiar problem of faltering at the finish
cropped up once more, with Lungi Ngidi picking up three wickets in the
final overs, including that of Rohit, to restrict India to just 274 for
7.
On
a pitch that was expected to slow down, India started off in a hurry,
seemingly in a bid to take toll of the hard new ball. Put in to bat, it
was Shikhar Dhawan who set the tone for India. His breezy 23-ball 34
eased a lot of pressure on Rohit, who preferred not to take first strike
in this match. But as the latter too got his eye in, he marked his
return to form with a stunning six off Kagiso Rabada in the sixth over.
Rabada had been Rohit's nemesis-in-chief all through this series,
picking him three times out of four, but with that small mental battle
won, Rohit was back to his comfort zone. India's openers raced towards a
fifty-run stand but just two runs short of the mark, Dhawan fell to
Rabada's short ball trap, pulling straight to deep backward square leg.
But
that wicket did little to deter Rohit, who was now joined by the other
man in form - Virat Kohli. The duo shared a steady 105-run stand for the
second wicket without any attempts to be flashy. That partnership
though could have ended a little earlier, had Kohli been adjudged out
stumped on 29. But a close call was decided in the batsman's favour by
Aleem Dar, but Kohli's luck ran out soon. The duo, who had batted so
well until then, was involved in their seventh instance of a run out as a
pair, with Kohli being caught well short to end his stay on 36. Rohit
went on to turn his back on the next man in, Ajinkya Rahane, as well who
was run out for 8. And it could have all turned even worse at that
point for India, had Tabraiz Shamsi held on to a chance given by Rohit
on 96.
Rohit
went on to bring up a ton that was littered with cuts and pulls that
were easy on the eye, and managed to add 60 more with Shreyas Iyer for
the fourth wicket.
With
236 on the board by the 43rd over, India were looking at a total close
to 300 but Lungi Ngidi triggered a collapse, having Rohit and Hardik
Pandya caught behind off successive deliveries, before getting a well
set Iyer in his next over. Ngidi went on to pick up MS Dhoni later in
the innings as well, to negate India's bid to accelerate, keeping them
down to a chaseable 274.
Brief Scores: India 274/7 (Rohit Sharma 115, Virat Kohli 36; Lungi Ngidi 4/51) vs South Africa
Collected By : Newaz Robin
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