India beat South Africa by 124 runs in the third ODI cricket to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the six-match series at the Newlands in Cape Town last night. Chasing a target of 304 runs to win, South Africa were bundled out for 179 runs in 40 overs. Wrist-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav caused maximum damage by taking four wickets each.
Earlier, put in to bat, aided by skipper Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 160 off 159 balls, India made 303 for 6 in the stipulated 50 overs. It was 34th ODI hundred for the Indian captain. It was also Kohli’s second hundred of the series and third of the tour. The other notable scorer was opener Shikhar Dhawan who contributed a useful 76 off 63 balls.
During the ongoing South African innings, Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the fourth wicket-keeper to effect 400 dismissals in ODIs when he had stand-in captain Aiden Markram stumped off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav for 32. The win has brought the Men in Blue one step closer to a maiden series triumph in South Africa.
