India clawed their way back into the contest through incisive spells from Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav after Quinton de Kock’s 23rd ODI hundred had lifted South Africa to a seemingly strong position, restricting the visitors to a manageable 270 in the third and series-deciding ODI on Saturday.
India won the toss after judging the spin of the coin incorrectly 20 times in a row and opted to field, a decision driven by the expected dew factor.
Arshdeep Singh provided the early breakthrough by removing Ryan Rickelton, but De Kock seized control of the innings with a commanding 106 off 89 balls that included eight fours and six sixes.
He added 113 runs off 124 balls with skipper Temba Bavuma, who made a composed 48 off 67 deliveries built on dabs, jabs and the occasional elegant drive.
Prasidh struggled initially in a wayward first spell of 2 overs for 27 runs, feeding De Kock the short deliveries he thrives on. The left-hander punished him with consecutive hits for six, six and four in the bowler’s second over and moved to his fifty in 42 balls before reaching his hundred in 79.
India gained a brief breather when Ravindra Jadeja prompted Bavuma to slash straight to Virat Kohli at point.
De Kock then added 54 runs with Matthew Breetzke for the third wicket and at 168 for two in 28 overs South Africa looked primed to accelerate.
Breetzke’s robust hitting against part-time spinner Tilak Varma forced KL Rahul to bring Prasidh back for a second spell and the change transformed the match.
Prasidh delivered a superb burst of 4 overs for 11 runs that dismantled the top and middle order.
Breetzke was trapped in front by a straight delivery, Aiden Markram chipped a fuller ball to Kohli at short cover four deliveries later and De Kock’s attempted cross-batted swipe resulted in his stumps being rattled.
South Africa slid to 199 for five, losing three wickets in three overs.
Kuldeep Yadav took charge once Prasidh had finished his demolition job, returning figures of 4 for 41 and cleaning up the tail to prevent the visitors from reaching even a par score on a surface that initially appeared promising for batting.
