India opener Shikhar Dhawan scored a century in his 100th One-Day International but scintillating South Africa claimed a five-wicket Duckworth-Lewis victory in a thrilling rain-curtailed clash at the Wanderers in Johannesburg yesterday.
India lead the series 3-1 heading into the fifth match, to be played in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday. Dhawan’s brilliant 109 from 105 balls lifted India to 289 for seven in their 50 overs, but after rain intervened in the contest, South Africa were left chasing 202 from 28 overs, a target they passed with 15 balls to spare to stay alive in the six-match series.
The home side had previously had to battle against India’s wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in the series, but tore into them with a vicious assault that yielded 119 runs in just 11.3 overs to ease them past their victory target.
Captain Aiden Markram was trapped in front by Jasprit Bumrah and JP Duminy was also out leg before to Kuldeep. While Hasim Amla made 33 from 40 deliveries, AB de Villiers went on the offensive, smashing Kuldeep for consecutive sixes before whipping a ball from Hardik Pandya straight down the throat of Rohit Sharma on the fine leg boundary for 26 from 18 balls.
However, David Miller smashed 39 from 28 balls, and shared a quick-fire 72-run stand for the fifth-wicket with man of the match Heinrich Klaasen, who ended unbeaten on 43 off just 27 balls with five fours and a six. Earlier, Dhawan upstaged his captain, Virat Kohli, who played another valuable innings, hitting 75 in a second wicket stand of 178.
His 83-ball innings took Kohli to 393 runs for a series in which he has only been dismissed twice. It was the third successive big partnership between Dhawan and Kohli.
They put on an unbeaten 93 in chasing down a small target in the second match in Centurion and added 140 in setting up a win in the third match in Cape Town.