India vs South Africa, 4th ODI: South Africa keep series alive with five-wicket win

NEW DELHI: Shikhar Dhawan's landmark hundred went in vain as India lost the rain-truncated fourth one-day international by five wickets against South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday. Even though India failed to secure their maiden series win on South African soil on Saturday itself, they still lead the six-match series 3-1.

South Africa were given a revised target of 202 in 28 overs after a long rain stoppage, which they chased down with 15 balls to spare and kept their Pink ODI record intact. After initial wobble, as they lost three wickets for 35 runs, Heinrich Klaasen (43 not out) and Andile Phehlukwayo (23 not out) took South Africa home in 25.3 overs.

Scorecard: India vs South Africa, 4th ODI

Klassen smashed a six and five fours in his 27-ball innings, while Phehlukwayo took just five balls for his unbeaten 23 as he bludgeoned three sixes and a four.

Klassen and David Miller's 72-run stand for the fifth wicket turned out to be the match-winning one as they took South Africa closer to the target.

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Kuldeep Yadav gave South Africa a double blow, soon after the resumption of play, by dismissing Hashim Amla (33) and JP Duminy (10) in quick succession. But AB de Villiers smacked two back-to-back sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal, who conceded 17 in the over, to put South Africa in the hunt again. In the next over, Hardik Pandya dismissed De Villiers but only after the right-hander hit two sixes and a four in his quick-fire 18-ball 26.

Miller then hit Pandya for three successive fours and along with Klaasen, he tilted the balance in their favour with some big hitting. They targeted the famed spin duo of Kuldeep and Chahal and clobbered them for 119 runs in their combine 11.3 overs.

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Earlier, South Africa started the chase positively as the openers put up 43 in the first seven overs, before Jasprit Bumrah got the better of Aiden Markram in the next. Markram's wicket, with the Proteas on 43/1 in 7.2 overs, also brought in the second stoppage of the match due to lightning and heavy rain, which lasted one hour and 40 minutes.

After opting to bat, Dhawan scored his 13th ODI hundred to help India post 289/7. In the process, Dhawan (109 off 105) became the first Indian batsman to score a century in his 100th ODI and ninth overall. The opener added 158 runs for the second wicket with skipper Virat Kohli (75) to lay the foundation of India innings. Among South African bowlers, Lungi Ngidi (2/52) and Kagiso Rabada (2/58) took two wickets each.

The match was stopped for almost 50 minutes by lightning and thunderstorm, when India were 200/2 in 34.2 overs. And India suffered a mini slump after the resumption of play, as they lost three wickets in 5.3 overs, and it was the crucial 37-run partnership between MS Dhoni, who remained unbeaten on 42, and Shreyas Iyer (18) that revived the innings. Dhoni hit a six and three fours in his 43-balls innings, and later stitched another valuable 20 runs with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (5) for the seventh wicket.

India had a decent start, before Rohit Sharma mistimed a Rabada delivery in the fourth over and gave the Proteas an early breakthrough. Dhawan and Kohli then stabilised the innings as they took India to 178/1 in 31 overs, from 20/1 in four.

After a cautious start, Kohli signalled the change in approach with a straight six off Ngidi in the 17th over. Dhawan then brought up 100 for India in the 19th with a huge six. The run rate, which had hovered below five, began to climb as they scored boundaries freely and took just 5.5 overs more to take India to 150-run mark.

Dhawan reached fifty-run mark off 53 balls, with the help of five boundaries, before Kohli scored his 46th ODI fifty off 56 balls, which included a six and five fours. Morris broke the stand when he dismissed Kohli in the 32nd over to give South Africa a chance to claw back. Kohli smashed a six and seven fours in his 83-ball knock.

Dhawan soon inked his name in the record book by scoring a century in his 100th one-dayer. A straight drive for four brought up the milestone off 99 balls, which included two sixes and ten fours.

Seven balls later, umpires stopped the play for fear of lightning and thunderstorm. The stoppage worked in favour of the hosts as Morne Morkel ended Dhawan's swashbuckling innings on 109 soon after the resumption of play. India lost another wicket in the form of Ajinkya Rahane to Ngidi in the next over as they slumped to 210/4 in 36.3 overs, from 178/1 in 31 overs.

Brief Score: South Africa beat India by five wickets (DLS)