South Africa win last ODI, India bag series 2-1

AHMEDABAD - South Africa ended the one-day series with a consolation win, beating India by 90 runs in the third and final match at the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera Saturday. India claimed the series 2-1.

Chasing a target of 366 runs, India were all out for 275 in 44.3 overs after Virat Kohli top scored with 57. Suresh Raina (49) and Rohit Sharma (48) also came up with valuable contributions.

For South Africa, Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked up three wickets each while spinner Roelof van der Merwe and Johan Botha got two apiece.

Earlier, after South Africa won the toss, A.B. de Villiers and Jacques Kallis smashed unbeaten centuries as the visitors posted 365 for two, their highest total against India.

De Villiers (102 not out) and Kallis’s (104 not out) task was made easy by their openers Loots Bosman (68) and Hashim Amla (87), who rustled up a 113-run stand on what proved to be a hard day for the Indian bowlers. De Villiers was also adjudged the Man of the Match.

The inexperienced Indian attack, in the absence of veteran Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar, failed to do much on a flat, dry track. The slow bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja (1-53) and Yusuf Pathan (1-66), who proved quite effective for India in the middle overs, too struggled.

Bosman was on the offensive from the start, plundering seven fours and four sixes in his 46-ball innings. Amla, who had a dream Test series, was happy playing second fiddle and was fluent in his stroke play.

Pathan gave India the breakthrough when he lured Bosman to hit at long on and Jadeja made no mistake.

Amla looked well on course for a hundred before his innings was cut short by a slog sweep that went straight to the hands of Murali Vijay at deep square leg off Jadeja. His 103-ball innings included eight fours.

De Villiers and Kallis then worked their way to build on the start. De Villiers was the more aggressive of the two, his innings coming in a mere 59 balls with 11 fours and three sixes.

Kallis cut loose once he reached his fifty, taking 94 balls for his century with five fours and three sixes.