Ken Borland

South Africa’s batsmen were not able to produce the goods under pressure, being bundled out for just 99 in the decisive third ODI against India on Tuesday in Delhi, a seven-wicket thrashing with 30.5 overs to spare not being the send-off the Proteas would have wanted as they now head to the T20 World Cup in Australia.

It’s not as if the pitch looked like the surface of the moon and provided extravagant turn or was a green mamba that seamed around, but South Africa’s batsmen still found a way to be bundled out in a miserable 27.1 overs.

Much credit must go to a superb Indian attack that barely erred in terms of line and length, and thoroughly exploited the reasonable assistance on offer from a pitch that provided a good contest between bat and ball.

Wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, as he often has been against the Proteas, was the most successful of the Indian bowlers as he raked in 4/18 in just 4.1 overs. But the left-armer only joined the attack in the 20^th over, when South Africa were already deep in the mire on 71/6.

Having been sent in to bat, off-spinner Washington Sundar (4-0-15-2) made the initial strike, bowling wonderfully well around the wicket to the left-hander Quinton de Kock and removing him in the third over for just six.

A double strike by paceman Mohammed Siraj (5-0-17-2), removing Janneman Malan (15) and Reeza Hendricks (3), reduced South Africa to 26/3 in the powerplay.

The introduction of more spin brought even more pain for the Proteas as orthodox left-armer Shahbaz Ahmed claimed two wickets and deciphering Kuldeep was out-of-reach for the bowlers.

Heinrich Klaasen battled on for the Proteas, scoring 34 off 42 balls, before he was undone on the back foot – like many of his colleagues – and bowled by Shahbaz.

Marco Jansen was the last man out for 14 as South Africa were left on their lowest ever ODI score against India, and their second-worst first-innings effort in all ODIs, only their 83 all out against England in 2008 being lower.

The Proteas’ focus is clearly on the T20 World Cup and giving players game time, with Temba Bavuma and Tabraiz Shamsi again sitting out as they continue to recover from illness. Keshav Maharaj has now caught the bug and he sat out Tuesday’s game, David Miller captaining the ODI side for the first time. It is also the first time in ODI history that three different captains have been used in a three-match series.

Lungi Ngidi, Jansen and Andile Phehlukwayo were brought in for the decisive third ODI.

India’s top-order made the same pitch look like a road as they raced to their meagre target in 19.1 overs.

Shubnam Gill led the way with 49 off 57 balls, while Shreyas Iyer finished with 28 not out from 23 deliveries.

As well as he batted, Aiden Markram has admitted that the Proteas missed out on an extra 15-20 runs they should have scored as they went down to India by seven wickets in the second ODI at the weekend, and executing their skills in the crucial moments will be their focus going into the decisive third match in Delhi on Tuesday.

Markram scored 79 off 89 balls, an innings filled with plenty of great strokes, but he was just beginning to really dominate after a tough start when he got out, lashing a short delivery from off-spinner Washington Sundar to extra cover. What made his dismissal even worse was that it came just two balls after Heinrich Klaasen got out for a brisk 30 off 26 deliveries.

Markram had set up the innings superbly with Reeza Hendricks (74 off 76) in a run-a-ball third-wicket stand of 129, and he and Klaasen then added 46 off 40 balls to leave the Proteas poised for a score of over 300 as they reached 215 for three in the 38^th over.

They subsided to 278 for seven, which India chased down with 25 balls to spare and Markram put his hand up for what happened.

“The pitch was drier than in Lucknow and we thought we had a decent score, even if it was 15-20 runs less than ideal,” Markram said.

“It would have been nice to bat through the last 10 overs and cash in, that’s where the runs left out there are on me. Whenever two wickets fall bang-bang, then the fielding team gets all the momentum back.

“When I got out, maybe that’s where we left the 15-20 runs short. I haven’t played in Delhi before, but lots of the team have, so we’ll have knowledge of the conditions. We will just try and execute our skills on the day, ultimately that’s what matters,” Markram said.

India’s successful chase was also built around a third-wicket stand, although Ishan Kishan (93 off 84) and Shreyas Iyer (113* off 111) took theirs to 161. Although he has been out-of-form lately, South Africa possibly missed the ability of wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi to take wickets in the middle overs. Both he and captain Temba Bavuma missed the second ODI due to illness.

“They were very good, they played excellent knocks and deserve a lot of credit for such a big partnership that killed the game,” Markram said.

“The ball was quite wet, we definitely saw the impact of the dew. I don’t think we bowled badly, they hit some good balls for boundaries and then it becomes tough to slow them down.”

Markram said he was greatly helped by having Hendricks in such good form at the other end, and hopefully the prolific 33-year-old keeps his place for Tuesday’s decider.

“Batting first, the ball did not skid on so much and India bowled into the pitch and the ball just died. David Miller struggling to hit the ball shows you how tough conditions were and how well India bowled.

“I found it tough, it was frustrating. But lots of credit must go to Reeza, he kept the runs flowing at the other end and so the partnership was still doing well,” Markram said.

The Proteas summoned up the most appropriate of responses to their shock defeat in the series opener as they hammered Bangladesh by seven wickets with 12.4 overs to spare in the second ODI at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Having been beaten by 38 runs at Centurion, the Proteas were led to victory by their big guns on Sunday, with Kagiso Rabada and Quinton de Kock both producing special performances.

Rabada’s outstanding new-ball burst reduced Bangladesh to 34/5, and the tourists needed Afif Hossain’s defiant 72 off 107 balls to get them to a respectable 194/9 on a Wanderers pitch that was tricky to bat on in the early stages with inconsistent bounce.

Bounce was the chief weapon of Rabada, who was hostile and controlled as he took 5/39, removing key batsmen Liton Das (15), Shakib al-Hasan (0) and Yasir Ali (2). Rabada, languid but fiery, then claimed the vital wickets of Afif and Mehidy Hasan Miraz (38) in the 46^th over, both batsmen being well-set to make merry at the death as they had already added 86 for the seventh wicket.

Lungi Ngidi (10-2-34-1) and Wayne Parnell (2.5-0-6-1) also fitted the bill as anti-social fast bowlers, but left-arm quick Parnell had just taken the fifth wicket, trapping Mushfiqur Rahim lbw for 11, when he limped off the field with a hamstring injury, never to return.

It meant, with Aiden Markram left out of the starting XI as De Kock returned and Kyle Verreynne kept his place, that South Africa, with only five frontline bowlers, had to employ the friendly, part-time seam of Temba Bavuma.

The Proteas captain actually did a very tidy job, conceding just 22 runs in his 6.1 overs, and he should have had a maiden white-ball international wicket but Janneman Malan dropped Miraz on 21 at long-on. Rassie van der Dussen was even pressed into service to bowl the penultimate over and his gentle off-spin did snare a first wicket as 12^th man Markram caught Shoriful Islam (2) at long-on.

Regular spinner Tabraiz Shamsi showed his omission from the first ODI was a mistake as he claimed 1/26 in 10 excellent overs, getting the wicket of Mahmudullah (25), caught at leg-slip, to end a threatening sixth-wicket stand of 60 with Afif.

De Kock’s dashing approach at the top of the innings then put South Africa on the path to a comfortable victory from the outset, the left-hander stroking a dazzling 62 off just 41 balls, with nine fours and two sixes.

Fellow opener Malan scored 26 as 86 runs were briskly put on for the first wicket.

Coming together at 94/2 in the 16^th over, Verreynne and Bavuma then comfortably ticked off most of the remaining runs required with a third-wicket partnership of 82.

Bavuma was caught on the boundary off Afif’s off-spin for a well-played 37, but Verreynne finished the job with a classy 58 not out off 77 deliveries.

The Northerns Titans continued their assault for top spot on the CSA T20 Challenge log when they chased down a target of 149 against the Central Gauteng Lions with ease, winning by seven wickets with 11 balls to spare at St George’s Park on Thursday.

Quinton de Kock set about the bowling from the outset, racing to 22 off 11 balls, before Bjorn Fortuin (4-0-23-1) had him caught.

The chase was then brilliantly managed by captain Theunis de Bruyn, who stroked a fluent 63 not out off 51 balls, and Heinrich Klaasen, who sped to 44 off 33 deliveries as they broke the back of the chase with a third-wicket stand of 106 off just 71 balls.

Malusi Siboto took 2/21 in 3.1 overs as he and Fortuin were the only Lions bowlers not to fetch.

Having elected to bat first, the Lions made a fine start with Reeza Hendricks (41 off 37) and Kagiso Rapulana (31 off 25) added 58 for the first wicket in 8.3 overs.

Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-25-2) then set in motion a collapse with the wickets of Hendricks and the dangerous Shane Dadswell (0) with successive deliveries, as the Lions slumped to 101/6 in the 16^th over.

Sisanda Magala gave them some hope, however, as he blasted a quickfire 33 not out off just 18 deliveries.

Shamsi was backed up by excellent spin bowling by Aaron Phangiso (4-0-18-1) and Dewald Brevis (3-0-18-1).

Northerns are now just one point behind the log-leading Western Province side.

In the afternoon game, another sensational innings by Tristan Stubbs took Eastern Province to 156/6 after they elected to bat first, but the Warriors would pay for poor fielding and untidy bowling as the Boland Rocks passed that score with three wickets and two balls to spare.

Stubbs continued to push for higher honours as he belted 47 off 30 balls, with Wihan Lubbe (35 off 25) and Diego Rosier (31 off 22) providing valuable help.

Boland’s spinners, led by leggie Shaun von Berg (4-0-26-3), were outstanding – Imran Manack taking 1/21 and Siyabonga Mahima conceding just 22 runs in their quota of overs.

The Warriors dismissed both Malan brothers in the first two overs, but Boland were then let off the hook as catches were dropped, allowing Clyde Fortuin and Ferisco Adams, who both scored 27 off 17 balls, to provide some impetus.

Young Michael Copeland played an impressively mature innings of 40 and Christiaan Jonker hit 30 off 25, before Hardus Viljoen saw the Rocks home with 18 not out off 8 balls.

Jon-Jon Smuts (4-0-16-1) led a good bowling display by the spinners, with Tsepo Ndwandwa taking 2/33 and Lizo Makhosi 1/16 in three overs.