218/10 (45.5)
CRR : 4.76
296/8 (50.0)
CRR : 5.92
India won by 78 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Player
108(114)
Aiden Markram (South Africa Captain): "We were not up to the mark. Always nice being in a series decider. It was a great day to be playing cricket but unfortunately just not our best skills on display.
We were good in small patches but couldn't stretch those patches to get a firm grip on the game and get momentum on our side. We will reflect on those points tonight before the white ball squad gets a break.
(Should you have opted to bat first?) I don't think the surface changed much throughout the game. We thought 290 was chaseable. Pretty good with the ball, would have ideally liked to do away with some extra 20 runs but still backed our unit to chase that. I am not sure that the toss played a massive factor today.
2 great venues for 2 Test matches doesn't get better than that. We fly and join the Test squad tomorrow."
We were good in small patches but couldn't stretch those patches to get a firm grip on the game and get momentum on our side. We will reflect on those points tonight before the white ball squad gets a break.
(Should you have opted to bat first?) I don't think the surface changed much throughout the game. We thought 290 was chaseable. Pretty good with the ball, would have ideally liked to do away with some extra 20 runs but still backed our unit to chase that. I am not sure that the toss played a massive factor today.
2 great venues for 2 Test matches doesn't get better than that. We fly and join the Test squad tomorrow."
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson (POTM): "Yeah, especially when the series was 1-1, we all wanted to win it. I have been working really hard, well, not to say it, to be honest, I have been working hard for all these years, not only for the last two months. Proud of it, especially considering the result as well.
This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket and the bowler’s mindset. Batting at the top of the order gives you those 10-20 extra deliveries.
The whole country is very proud of how Tilak Varma has stepped up, lot more to expect from him. The seniors have set the standards of Indian cricket, and the juniors are coming in and doing the job.
It’s not very easy, travelling in between and playing every 2-3 days, but they’re getting the job done."
This format gives you some extra time to understand the wicket and the bowler’s mindset. Batting at the top of the order gives you those 10-20 extra deliveries.
The whole country is very proud of how Tilak Varma has stepped up, lot more to expect from him. The seniors have set the standards of Indian cricket, and the juniors are coming in and doing the job.
It’s not very easy, travelling in between and playing every 2-3 days, but they’re getting the job done."
Arshdeep Singh is the player of the series!
Arshdeep Singh (Player of the Series): "There was always something in the wicket throughout the day. Sometimes it was stopping, sometimes gripping. Not very ideal for fast bowlers but the plan was to keep it simple and bowl wicket to wicket and try to get more LBWs and bowleds and I got the reward.
Some loud appeals because when on wickets like this when nothing is happening you need some support from the umpires as well but it was very less.
IPL has been a really good platform for us youngsters as the gap between IPL and international cricket is not that much coz you play with the big players from all the countries and you tend to know their levels and what they think when things are not going right and how their mindset is to perform well. That helps me to perform at this level.
We are all loving the chances we have got coz all the main players are getting ready for the Test series and we got this opportunity and we loved it and in the future as well we would love to give our all, 100% and do well for the team."
Some loud appeals because when on wickets like this when nothing is happening you need some support from the umpires as well but it was very less.
IPL has been a really good platform for us youngsters as the gap between IPL and international cricket is not that much coz you play with the big players from all the countries and you tend to know their levels and what they think when things are not going right and how their mindset is to perform well. That helps me to perform at this level.
We are all loving the chances we have got coz all the main players are getting ready for the Test series and we got this opportunity and we loved it and in the future as well we would love to give our all, 100% and do well for the team."
KL Rahul (India Captain): "Yes, it's been that way since I have been here in South Africa. Coming back from a disappointing World Cup final, we got some time off before we got back to the cricketing field, which is always a good feeling playing for India.
The boys play in the IPL together and know a lot of them very well. Nice to be part of this group. It's a good thing to put some performances together and give them good opportunities.
I think, my message is to enjoy the game despite any situation and to give your best and not worry about the results. They are a very young group of players; they have played a lot of cricket but not at the international level. A few of them will have nervous faces. So it’s about giving them some time to adjust. It's about giving them time to have fun and settle down. It’s about making their roles clear, and they all gave their 100%, so there's nothing more I can ask as a captain. Really good to see them enjoy their time and fight it out alongside having a good time throughout the series.
Very happy for Sanju Samson. He has been performing really well in the IPL over the years. Unfortunately, he didn't get enough chances at the top of the order for various reasons, but nice to see him do well today. There are a lot of players who are not getting enough chances at the top order, with India having a settled batting line-up. Good to see him making full use of the opportunity at number 3.
Yeah, looking forward to the Test series."
The boys play in the IPL together and know a lot of them very well. Nice to be part of this group. It's a good thing to put some performances together and give them good opportunities.
I think, my message is to enjoy the game despite any situation and to give your best and not worry about the results. They are a very young group of players; they have played a lot of cricket but not at the international level. A few of them will have nervous faces. So it’s about giving them some time to adjust. It's about giving them time to have fun and settle down. It’s about making their roles clear, and they all gave their 100%, so there's nothing more I can ask as a captain. Really good to see them enjoy their time and fight it out alongside having a good time throughout the series.
Very happy for Sanju Samson. He has been performing really well in the IPL over the years. Unfortunately, he didn't get enough chances at the top of the order for various reasons, but nice to see him do well today. There are a lot of players who are not getting enough chances at the top order, with India having a settled batting line-up. Good to see him making full use of the opportunity at number 3.
Yeah, looking forward to the Test series."
The Indian skipper receives the silverware and invites the teammates for a celebration. Excellent series win for a young Indian side under Rahul's leadership, on to the Test matches now.
That's all from our coverage of the 3-match one-day international series between South Africa and India. Ninaad Dixit here signing off on behalf of my co-commentators AkshayaKrishna Polya, Akshay Bhide and scorer/analyst Raju Khariya. Stay tuned for more cricketing action from all over the world.