New Delhi: Virat Kohli‘s 53rd ODI century and Ruturaj Gaikwad‘s first ton in the format should have been enough to put Men in Blue in control of the second ODI in Raipur. Their 195-run partnership was classy, calculated and exactly the sort of platform teams dream of when batting first. KL Rahul chipped in with a brisk finish and 358 for five looked like the kind of total that would usually bury the opposition.
Instead, South Africa chased it down with four wickets and four balls to spare, pulling the series level and leaving India scratching their heads. Aiden Markram played an innings full of intent and intelligence, Matthew Breetzke produced another mature knock and Dewald Brevis smashed the ball clearly under the lights. All of that while navigating injuries and pressure moments in the closing overs. It was a proper statement win for the visitors.
What this match really exposed was that India put a big score but failed to play a complete ODI. Small cracks appeared early and by the end, those cracks had widened into the only thing that mattered, setting up a must-win decider in Visakhapatnam.
India bowling looked thin
Once dew settled drastically the ball skidded on, spinners struggled to grip it and even good deliveries turned into hittable ones. Still, some of the damage was self-inflicted. Prasidh Krishna couldn’t control his lengths and finished off with an expensive spell while Kuldeep Yadav lacked the usual bite and the pressure rarely built from both ends. Aiden Markram took full advantage of the same bossing around the chase with authority.
Arshdeep Singh showed pockets of control but every India created an opening, South Africa found someone to slam it shut. The late cameo from Corbin Bosch was the final punch India couldn’t absorb.
Fielding erros proved costly
It’s always moments that define chases. India did have one such moment when Yashasvi Jaiswal put down Markram on 53. As the ball sailed over the rope and the South African captain never looked back, powering his way to a match-winning hundred. Men in Blue under pressure, made more errors shoulders dropped and South Africa sensed an opportunity and made no mistake. In tight games, those lapses aren’t just mistakes as they are momentum killers.
India’s fielding isn’t quite giving the bowlers the support they need in these difficult bowling conditions
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) December 3, 2025
Lack of acceleration in final overs
India were 250 for two in the 38th over. A truly ruthless battling side pushes for 370-plus from there easily but instead, the hosts slowed down. Rahul tried to lift the tempo, but the rate at which the innings flattened allowed the Proteas to stay in the fight. India simply left too many runs on the table with visitors grabbing the opportunity and levelling the series, hurting India.
Last few overs while batting cost India the game.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 3, 2025
India still have one more chance in Visakhapatnam as the batting looks in form but the bowling and fielding must hold up under pressure. Otherwise, this series could slip away just like the second ODI quietly, frustratingly and despite a score that should have been enough.