SA VS IND 3RD ODI

KL Rahul now collects the trophy and walks to his teammates for the photographs. The trophy is handed to Jaiswal, who lofts it up in the air, as smiles spread all across the Indian camp behind the winner's board. That's a wrap on this three-match ODI series. India take it 2-1, stamping their authority on home soil once again and proving their white-ball dominance remains as strong as ever. Plenty of positives to take away for the hosts, from individual brilliance to collective resilience under pressure. South Africa, win or lose, showed glimpses of fight and will head back with a few things to smile about, but more importantly, plenty to dissect and refine as they regroup for future challenges. After that bruising 2-0 Test whitewash, India have bounced back in style in the ODIs. But there's no time to rest. Both sides now shift gears for the upcoming five-match T20I series, with the opening clash set for Cuttack on Tuesday, 9th December. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 7 pm IST (1.30 pm GMT). Until then, it's goodbye from us. Stay safe, and we will catch you on the other side. Cheers.

The Indian captain, KL Rahul, jokes that he doesn’t think the team has ever looked at him and smiled this much just for winning the toss. He points out that you can already see how the conditions are with the dew settling in. Believes it was a really good wicket to bat on. Rahul feels that taking wickets in bunches made a big difference. He explains that against teams who go hard, it’s either 400 on the board or you end up playing one shot too many and getting out, so the only real way to contain them is by picking wickets. KL adds that for a set batter like Quinton de Kock, the wicket played differently, and it wasn’t easy for new batters to start, which is why de Kock's wicket was crucial. Rahul says the most pleasing thing in the series has been the team’s ability to hold their nerve and stay calm under pressure. States that there was one result that didn’t go their way, but he is not upset about it and doesn’t want the team to dwell on it. Reckons that sticking to their processes and doing the same things consistently has paid off.

Virat Kohli is the PLAYER OF THE SERIES for his fine form with the bat. He scored a couple of centuries and an unbeaten half century, finishing with a tally of 302 runs in the series. He begins by saying that the way he has played in this series has been really satisfying for himself. Says that he is feeling really free and the whole game is coming together nicely. Admits that he hasn't played this fluently in the last 2-3 years. Mentions that he tried to maintain his own standards and make a strong impact. Reflects that you feel nervous, especially while batting, where one mistake can cost you big, and that he has been in different phases over his career. Says that knowing and working on the negative thinking patterns really helps to improve his temperament and the overall game. Feels glad to be able to contribute to the team's win. On his six-hitting ability, he says that when he is playing freely, he knows he can hit a few into the stands. On being asked about which inning of the series he would rate as the best, Kohli highlights the century in Ranchi as a special one, as he hadn't played since the Australia series. Says that inning opened him up in a way he hadn't felt in a while. Adds that the must-win situations bring the best out of him. Expresses his happiness to see Rohit and him able to help the team even now.

Yashasvi Jaiswal is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his unbeaten and match-winning 116 off 121 balls. He says he really enjoyed his innings today and feels grateful and blessed for the opportunity. Mentions that he and Rohit have been chatting a lot about the tempo at which they should bat. Adds that he had got starts in the last two games but couldn’t convert them, so he looked to pace the innings better. Tells that he needed to control his thoughts, stay calm, and look to bat long. He also talks about how Virat Kohli started playing a lot of shots at the other end, and that helped him as well. Shares that Virat gave him small targets to focus on, which made things clearer in the middle.

The captain of South Africa, Temba Bavuma, reflects on the series defeat. He says they wanted to make it a lot more exciting this evening, but admits that they didn't have enough runs on the board. Also accepts that they could've been smarter with the bat but they gifted their wickets away, especially with the shot selection. Adds that it tends to get easier to bat under the lights, but also says that they were better with the ball in the first ten overs, while also conceding to the point that India didn't have any scoreboard pressure. Highlights that the conditions were different from the first two matches. Says that they got a couple of starts with Quinton de Kock getting to his century, but admits that he himself lost his way in the middle. Accepts that he could have been smarter and will learn from the experience. Adds that they have got some young players and the talk is about the way they want to play. Ends by saying if there were ten boxes, they have ticked six or seven of those.

... THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY ...

India's Prasidh Krishna is in for a chat with the broadcasters. He says the first two overs were really hard for him, with a couple of really poor balls mixed in with a few good ones. He shares that he sat back and assessed what was going wrong. Tells that the good thing about cricket is that you always get another spell. Adds that his focus was on bringing the stumps into play and not giving the batters any width. Krishna gives credit to Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana for the way they started and mentions how Kuldeep came on and picked up wickets helped build pressure. Overall, he feels they have done well as a bowling unit across the three games. Prasidh admits he was under a bit of pressure after the previous match. Further says that they spoke about what went wrong, but he knows what he can do and what he is capable of and for him, it was just about executing the plans. On the batting front, he says the group has always been good, and it is pleasing to see the top three performing in the manner the team expects.

Earlier in the game, India opted to bowl first after finally winning the toss. Harshit and Arshdeep kept things nice and quiet in the first Powerplay and didn't let the Proteas run away. However, Quinton de Kock batted like a dream and formed important partnerships with skipper Bavuma and then with Breetzke to sail the ship steadily in the middle phase. Soon after notching up his 23rd ODI hundred, QDK perished. South Africa slipped from 168/2 to 199/5 with Kuldeep and Krishna denting the middle order. The real dent came when Kuldeep dismissed both Brevis and Jansen in the same over off some really ordinary shots. Keshav Maharaj did fight well for his unbeaten 20, but India wrapped the visitors to 270 with Kuldeep and Krishna both finishing with a 4-fer.

Also, the fact that the South African bowlers were a bit too short against Rohit, which fed into his strengths. He did cash in with some trademark biggies as well. Maharaj finally provided the breakthrough by dismissing Rohit, but by then the damage was done. India had already chewed through more than half the target, and the chase was well and truly in their control. To make matters worse for the Proteas, Kohli walked in looking settled from ball one, continuing his sublime form. He scored a free-flowing fifty, and just when South Africa thought it couldn't get any harder, Jaiswal brought up his maiden ODI century, twisting the knife deeper. It was then just a matter of time as Virat Kohli unleashed his batting brilliance, which helped India to win with 61 balls to spare.

Rohit was the aggressor of the two, playing with trademark fluency and racing to a smooth fifty that gave Jaiswal the perfect platform to find his rhythm. India cruised along at five an over without breaking a sweat, with the asking rate never really a threat. The game plan was simple and effective - pick the gaps, rotate strike, and cash in when the loose balls came. Both openers executed it to perfection. Jaiswal grew into the innings beautifully, notching up his maiden ODI fifty and watching South African heads drop.

The target wasn't massive, but India weren't taking any chances. Rohit and Jaiswal stepped out with a game plan that screamed patience over panic, reading the two-paced surface and constructing their innings nicely. Jansen and Ngidi came hard with bounce and swing, testing their techniques, but the openers stood their ground. However, Jaiswal was interrogated thoroughly by pace and bounce, but he stood tall. India were 48 at the end of the first Powerplay, but without any wicket loss.

If there's one word to describe this Indian win, it's commanding in every sense. After being put to the test in the first two matches, the hosts have completely bossed the series decider. If Ranchi was a run fest with India's win inked on it, Raipur saw South Africa deliver a hammer blow by chasing down a mammoth target, Vizag belonged to India in the most dominating fashion possible. A tough day at the office for the tourists, as apart from a few batting brilliances, nothing really went their way this evening.

FOUR! Virat Kohli polishes off the chase! Lungi Ngidi bends his back and goes into the surface, outside off. Kohli dances down the track again and gets his hands high. Slaps it up and over extra cover for a boundary. India romp home in a dominant fashion and win the series 2-1!

FOUR! Hit with real authority! Lungi bowls the leg-cutter, on a length, outside off, Virat Kohli gives the bowler the charge and firms the drive past the diving extra cover fielder for a boundary. India need just 4 more runs.

A dipping off-cutter by Lungi, full and on middle. Virat Kohli picks it and watchfully plays it back to the bowler.

Leg bye! At the hips, on a short of a length, Jaiswal misses out on the tickle. A leg bye is taken as the ball goes behind on the leg side.

FOUR! Hammered! Ngidi pushes one across but this is too wide on off, on a back of a length. Jaiswal frees his arms and slaps it past point for a boundary.