Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal struck his maiden one-day international century as India cruised to a commanding nine-wicket win over South Africa on Saturday, sealing the three-match series 2–1 in Visakhapatnam.
Chasing 271, India dominated from the outset with a superb 155-run opening stand between Jaiswal and captain Rohit Sharma, who hammered 75 off 73 balls. Jaiswal, playing just his fourth ODI since debuting earlier this year, remained unbeaten on 116, taking India home with 10.1 overs to spare.
The 23-year-old left-hander brought up his maiden ODI hundred off 111 balls, celebrating with delight as the Vizag crowd roared. The milestone also means Jaiswal now has international centuries in all three formats.
At the other end, Rohit led the early charge, raising his 61st ODI fifty and surpassing 20,000 international runs – becoming only the fourth Indian to do so after Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid. His knock included seven fours and three sixes before Keshav Maharaj dismissed him.
Jaiswal shifted gears after reaching his fifty, peppering boundaries to ease India toward the finish line.
Virat Kohli then continued his red-hot form, remaining unbeaten on 65 off 45 balls with six fours and three sixes. After scoring back-to-back centuries earlier in the series, Kohli signed off by hitting the winning boundary, finishing the ODI leg with a tally of 302 runs.
Kuldeep and Prasidh Set Up the Win
India’s bowlers laid the foundation for the emphatic victory. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna claimed four wickets each, bundling out South Africa for 270 in 47.5 overs.
Breaking a bizarre streak, India finally won an ODI toss — their first after 20 consecutive losses — as captain KL Rahul opted to bowl first.
South Africa were lifted by Quinton de Kock’s brilliant 106 off 89 balls, his seventh ODI ton against India. The left-hander smashed eight fours and six sixes and looked set to propel the visitors beyond 300 as they reached 168–2.
But Prasidh triggered a collapse, removing Matthew Breetzke (24) and skipper Aiden Markram (1) in the same over before bowling de Kock shortly after his hundred.
Dewald Brevis (29) and Marco Jansen (17) attempted a recovery with a 35-run partnership, but Kuldeep dismissed both in the space of three deliveries to swing the match firmly back in India’s favour. South Africa eventually folded with Maharaj unbeaten on 20.
India Continue Dominance Across Formats
The ODI series win follows India’s 2–0 Test whitewash over South Africa. The return of stalwarts Kohli and Rohit, now exclusively playing the 50-over format following their T20I and Test retirements, provided a major boost.
Both teams now shift focus to the five-match T20I series, which begins Tuesday in Cuttack.