India's bowling attack, led by spin wizard Kuldeep Yadav and pacer Prasidh Krishna, produced a dominant display to bowl South Africa out for 270 in the decisive third and final ODI at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The effort came despite a blazing century from Proteas opener Quinton de Kock.
De Kock's Lone Battle Against Indian Bowling Onslaught
South African wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock played a magnificent lone hand, scoring a rapid 106 runs off just 89 deliveries. His innings was studded with eight boundaries and six massive sixes, marking his 23rd ODI hundred. Captain Temba Bavuma provided support with a patient 48 from 67 balls. At one stage, with the score at 199/4 in the 33rd over, South Africa looked set for a total well beyond 300.
Kuldeep and Prasidh Trigger Dramatic South African Collapse
The match turned decisively in India's favour thanks to a twin strike from Prasidh Krishna in the 29th over. He removed Matthew Breetzke (24) and the dangerous Aiden Markram to break a promising partnership. Later, Kuldeep Yadav took complete control of the innings' backend. He dismissed the aggressive pair of Dewald Brevis and Marco Jansen in the same over, effectively halting South Africa's momentum.
From a relatively comfortable position of 234/5, the visitors lost their last five wickets for just 36 runs, crumbling to 270 all out. Kuldeep finished with excellent figures of 4 for 41 in his 10 overs, while Prasidh Krishna claimed 4 for 66.
Kuldeep Yadav Enters Record Books with Vizag Masterclass
The left-arm wrist-spinner's performance was not just match-winning but also record-breaking. This was Kuldeep Yadav's fifth four-wicket haul against South Africa in ODIs, the most by any Indian bowler against a single opponent. He surpassed the four hauls each taken by Zaheer Khan (vs Zimbabwe) and Mohammed Shami (vs West Indies).
His stellar record against the Proteas now reads 36 wickets in just 16 matches at an astonishing average of 17.58 and a strike rate of 21.3. Furthermore, at the Visakhapatnam venue, he now has 13 wickets in five games, averaging 16.46, with this being his best bowling return there.
In another significant milestone, Kuldeep, with his 11th four-wicket (or more) haul in ODIs, moved past Indian legends Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath (both with 10 such hauls). He now sits third on the all-time Indian list, behind only Mohammed Shami (16) and Ajit Agarkar (12).
The Indian bowlers' collective effort ensured that de Kock's brilliant century did not translate into a match-winning total for South Africa, setting up a potentially thrilling run chase for the home side in the series decider.
