IND vs SA: Who said what after the third ODI in Visakhapatnam

India won the third ODI and sealed the IND vs SA ODI series 2-1.

India sealed the three-match ODI series against South Africa with a comprehensive win in Visakhapatnam. The bowlers led the way with a phenomenal performance, which was well complemented by the batters in the run chase. With this, India have won ten of the last eleven ODI series at home.

The Men in Blue had a positive start to the series decider as they won the toss in ODI cricket after 20 matches. KL Rahul tried his left-handed luck to win the toss and opted to field first. Winning the toss was crucial for India as dew plays a major role in the second innings.

South Africa had to deal with an early setback with Ryan Rickleton walking back in the first over. After this, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma steered the innings. The left-hander scored his 23rd century in ODIs, but following his dismissal, things went downhill for the Proteas. The visitors could not complete their quota of 50 overs and got bowled out for 270 runs.

In the chase, it was a smooth sail for India after the initial struggle. Rohit Sharma cruised to another fifty-plus score as he ended the year with a 75-run knock. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who had to grind in the power play, withstood the pressure to score his maiden ODI century. In the end, it was Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 65 runs that sealed the series for India as they won by nine wickets.

I’ve tried to maintain my own standards and make an impact – Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has been in swashbuckling touch in this series. He ended up with 302 runs with an average of 151. Virat said,

“Just playing the way I have this series has been the most satisfying for me. Feel really free in my mind, whole game is coming together nicely. I’ve tried to maintain my own standards and make an impact. I can bat long and according to the situation.”

“You have many phases where you feel doubt. You feel nervous, especially in batting, where one mistake can cost you. It’s a whole journey, getting better, becoming a better person. I can realise the negative thinking patterns, knowing and working on that helps the temperament. I’m glad to still be contributing to the team. When I play freely, I know I can hit sixes. Just wanted to push my boundaries and go well,” Virat replied, talking about his new intimidating avatar.

For Virat, his knock in Ranchi was the best, as he said, “The first innings was the best this series. I hadn’t played since Australia, just the energy on the day helps take risks. That opened me up in a way I’ve not felt in a while. Grateful for how the games have gone. Must-win brings the best out of us. I want to make a play. Happy Rohit, and I can help the team even now,”

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I was only thinking of how to balance the innings – Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal relished batting with two modern-day greats in Vizag. “I really enjoyed, grateful and blessed. Rohit and I have chatted a lot on how we play and what tempo to go with. I’ve been unable to convert starts. I was only thinking of how to balance the innings. Sometimes I need to be more attacking and sometimes get singles and consolidate. I have to control my thoughts, where and what shots I can play. I need to go after bowlers, knowing when I need to do that helps. Once Virat paaji came in, he played a lot of shots. He helped me set targets as well, said Yashasvi after his maiden ODI century.

Most pleasing thing has been how we’ve been able to handle pressure – KL Rahul

For KL Rahul the first highlight of this win was the toss. India won the toss after 20 matches and it was a big relief for the stand-in captain.

He said”I don’t think the team has looked at me more proudly after the toss. We got tough conditions in the first two games, glad to give bowlers a break on a tough outfield. The surface was good, we picked wickets in bunches. We know with teams that go hard, it can be chasing 400 or playing one too many shots and getting out.”

“Prasidh picked 2-3 wickets was crucial, then Kuldeep. That’s how you contain teams in ODIs. QDK batted really well, he made 120 out of 180 odd. Was much tougher for newer batters, so his was a key wicket,” KL said, lauding the efforts of the bowlers.

“Most pleasing thing has been how we’ve been able to handle pressure. In all games, SA batters have put us under pressure. One result didn’t go our way, we’re not thinking too much about it. Plans, processes have been consistent. Doing the same thing worked out today,” he concluded.

We didn’t have enough runs – Temba Bavuma

The Proteas missed out on the opportunity to win an ODI series in India after ten years. Temba Bavuma was gutted after the series loss.

“We wanted to make it a lot more exciting. We didn’t have enough runs. It gets easier under lights, should’ve been smarter, save wickets. In the first ten with ball we were better, but they had no scoreboard pressure to work with,” the South African skipper lamented.

Appreciating the Indian batters and reflecting on South Africa’s overall performance, Bavuma said, “Kudos to India’s batters who showed their quality. The guys have looked to take on spinners in the first two, conditions were different today. Never want to get all out in a fifty-over game. Couple of starts, QDK got a ton, I lost my way. Should’ve been smarter and will learn from the experience. We’ve grown. Got some young players, speak a lot on how we want to play and we’ve did that. We can only grow. If there were ten boxes, we’ve ticked off six or seven of them.“

As players, we’re expected to face tough challenges – Prasidh Krishna

For Prasidh Krishna, the spell in Vizag was a redemption. Coming on the back of two expensive spells, Krishna picked up four wickets to restrict South Africa to 270 in the first innings. Talking about his initial struggle, Prasidh said,

“It was really hard for me. There were poor balls and good shots. I had to think how to get back. That’s the good thing about cricket, you get another chance. I tried to keep the ball at the stumps and bowl a good length. I wouldn’t blame it on the dew or conditions. As players, we’re expected to face tough challenges.

The Indian pacer also acknowledged the contribution of other bowlers in making the Proteas struggle with the bat. “A lot of credit goes to Arsh and Harshit, how they start. That builds pressure. Then Kuldeep picks up wickets, think we’ve done well as a bowling unit. I was under pressure after last game. The chat was about what to do better. I know the areas to bowl. It’s a matter of keeping it simple and being calm. The batting has always been good. The way they did it was special.”

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