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Proteas wilt after poor batting display

Yuzvendra Chahal of India celebrates the wicket of SA's JP Duminy during yesterday's second Momentum ODI in Centurion. Chahal returned figures of 5/22 as India won.
Yuzvendra Chahal of India celebrates the wicket of SA's JP Duminy during yesterday's second Momentum ODI in Centurion. Chahal returned figures of 5/22 as India won.
Image: GALLO IMAGES

South Africa were handed a heavy and embarrassing nine-wicket defeat by India in the second ODI at Centurion in Tshwane yesterday.

As expected, India did not have any problems chasing the modest target of 119 set by the South Africans.

The hosts batted awfully after stand-in captain Aiden Markram lost the toss and was inserted to bat by Virat Kohli.

India crossed the line after 20.3 overs and 84 minutes, their inspirational captain Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan standing tall and unbeaten on respective scores of 56 off 50 and 51 off 56 balls, and having put up a partnership of 93 off 100.

When the umpires bizarrely ordered the players to lunch with India needing only two runs to win finished just after 2.30pm, there were still 29.7 overs and 177 balls remaining in the day's play.

The Proteas were bowled out for 118 after 32.2 overs and 135 minutes, which is their lowest ODI total in South Africa, on a day they performed poorly with the bat and none of their batsmen scored more than 25 runs.

This heavy defeat also handed 23-year old Markram, who became the 10th youngest captain to lead an ODI side, eclipsing Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar by just three days, a baptism of fire as a leader at this level.

One of the strange decisions by Markram was when he only used spinners Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi after the 11th over on this slow pitch and together they bowled a combined 8.3 overs as he persisted with the quicks.

To show how poor South Africa were in front of a packed SuperSport Park, they lost their last six wickets for just 19 runs as they struggled to cope with the devastating Indian wrist spin of Yuzvendra Chahal and Kudeep Yahav.

Chahal, who ended with figures of 5/22, and Yahav (3/20) took advantage of a pitch that provided a slow turner to mesmerise their hosts as they jointly accounted for the eight Proteas wickets that fell on the day.

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