South Africa require 350 was transformed into the plotting of a thrilling 50 over match where India took great leaps, went dead and made great leaps to get a score of 349. The first one to the last ball the innings were theatrical led by early aggression, middle overs slowness end of innings acceleration. It was a plot which was made brimming with  Virat Kohli wielding his talent, Rohit Sharma with measured attack and KL Rahul with poised finishes.

India began with intent. Yashasvi Jaiswal ran on Marco Jansen and broke four and six and put some life in the innings. But there was the break Nandre Burger threw a faultless ball of right length, tracing just far enough off the side to draw the edge. Jaiswal was on an 18 off 16 when he was cut short on the final ball through 25 off 1 and Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were together in the same match in the first instance. It was then strongly countered with a lapse of action that went very much in favor of India.

Kohli appeared composed and immediately galloped to 22 in 20 with an unusual early innings off-drive aerial six. After Tony de Zorzi dropped a sliding catch at long leg to spill it, Rohit who had lived through a life after the incident, changed gears some time after. At first he slapped off the hind foot. After which he touched the perfect cover drive. The overs passed and both men were in rhythm–Kohli going over to the off-drives, Rohit sweeping two huge sixes off Pernelan Subrayen. Their alliance grew to 136 which was threatening to win the game over.

But South Africa came in retaliation. In half-turn round the wicket, Marco Jansen probed one half-way in and Rohit found himself under the back thigh pad. Lying low the ball held him 57 out of 51 and smashed a stand which had blazed the field. First shift the game pace decreased. The rate of scoring had dropped to a pathetic 115 to the next 21.3 overs following the wicket of Rohit.

Kohli was awarded 63 of them the others made 55 between. this was where the spinners and the cutters of South Africa had the ball, where they put off pace and caught hold of the surface, and choked the boundaries.

Washington Sundar had the hardest time with 19 balls in four overs only to crack 13 and end in a mid off . The dot-ball pressure pulled the trigger. Ruturaj Gaikwad had suffered previously to this, at backward point a one-handed Dewald Brevis stunner another occasion which kept South Africa alive. But with all the jumbling Kohli was the prop. The pitch became lower and he became more focused. His rushing between the wickets was increased even further by a back niggle that had to be attended to in the middle of the innings.

At last, he had numbered hundreds a hundred and fifty two of them the most centuries on one international medium. And this was not just another one. Best after two ducks in Australia when it came to be decided whether he and Rohit would carry on until the 2027 World Cup best denied a strike in the nineties since it seemed like centuries, he leaped up, hands clasped behind his head and his release.

But that was not all South Africa attacked. Kohli was mis hit towards long off by a slower-ball bouncer of Nandre Burger who managed to hold, climb, and push it. Ryan Rickelton turned back and made a perfect running catch. Kohli fell for 135 off 120. Second shift India were 276/5 (42.5 over) and all of a sudden 350 seemed to South Africa possible to the bowlers.

Then came KL Rahul. First steady, then explosive. He achieved 50-50 with two late sixes off Burger a draw off speed and an upper cut off an inferior bouncer. As wickets fell at the other end and Harshit Rana at No. 8 did little in the last few overs to stroke India, the last over reverse ramp six by Rahul catapulted India to 349.

The death gave up just 21 by the bat especially to Corbin Bosch, but even then failed to keep down the figure, which even with the dew likely to be heavy was likely to be of a nature challengeable and yet chaseable but even then, impossible to keep down at a figure that was less than challenging.

India had 349 that was an innings of periods early fire mid-innings grind late resourceful hitting. South Africa require 350 to prevail whereas the dew is 10 minutes away and the tide has turned on and off, the chase is sure to be close, and potentially key in the series story.

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