South Africa Annihilate India to Clinch Historic ODI Series Win
Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers all hit centuries as South Africa thrashed India by 214 runs on Sunday to clinch the five-match one-day international series.
Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers all hit centuries as South Africa thrashed India by 214 wins on Sunday to clinch the five-match one-day international series. (All BCCI and AFP photos)
The Proteas batted first at a sweltering Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and made an awesome 438-4, the fourth-highest ODI total on record and the highest ever scored in India.
Left-handed opener de Kock hit 109, de Villiers notched 119 and du Plessis smashed 133. It was only the second time in a one-day that a trio of batsmen from the same team made three figures.
Hashim Amla became the fastest batsman to go past 6000 runs in ODIs. He achieved this feat in just his 123rd innings, breaking the mark set by Virat Kohli, who had gotten past the mark in 136 innings.
Du Plessis hit six sixes and nine fours, even reaching a couple of boundaries while hobbling on one leg, and could have had many more if he had not been forced to retire with cramp.
De Kock was first to take advantage of a favourable pitch and some woeful Indian bowling to notch his eighth one-day century and his second of the series off 87 balls.
The hosts needed a miracle with the bat, but got off to the worst possible start when opener Rohit Sharma was caught on 16 and Kohli went for only seven.
Shikhar Dawan and Ajinkya Rahane put on a spirited show under the floodlights, notching 60 and 87, respectively, but South Africa's total was never in danger.
Set batsman Rahane too departed in the 27th over, followed by Axar Patel (5) and Harbhajan Singh (0) to end India's hopes of clinching the series. For skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27), it was too onerous a task.
