Indore, India: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday struck an unbeaten 92 as India scored a gritty 22-run victory over South Africa in their second One Day International to level the five-match series 1-1.
South Africa were all out for 225 in 43.4 overs in reply to India’s 247 for 9, with left-arm spinner Axar Patel (3-39) and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-41) helping to bowl out the visiting team.
Earlier, Dhoni hauled India back from a precarious 104 for 5 in the 24th over.
Dhoni struck four sixes and seven fours off 86 deliveries after Ajinkya Rahane had chipped in with a fine 51 for what was his second consecutive half-century after scoring 60 in the first game.
Pace bowler Dale Steyn grabbed 3-49, but Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir took two important wickets each to help restrict India.
India, electing to bat after winning the toss, were reduced to 124 for 6 in the 30th over by a relentless display of pace and spin bowling by the tourists.
Dhoni stepped in to lead the rescue act with the lower order, adding 41 for the seventh wicket with Bhuvneshwar (14) and 56 for the eighth with Harbhajan Singh (22).
The skipper finished with four sixes, including one off the final delivery from young paceman Kagiso Rabada, and seven boundaries.
Rahane came to the crease in the second over after Rohit Sharma, who hit 150 in the previous match, was bowled by Rabada for three.
Rahane began by striking Steyn for three boundaries in the fifth over and reached his half-century in the 22nd over.
But he did not survive the next over as leg-spinner Imran Tahir bowled him round the legs as the batsman missed a sweep shot.
India’s batting woes at the top of the order were highlighted by the run out of star batsman Virat Kohli for 12 while attempting a second run when Rahane was dropped at mid-off by Farhaan Behardien.
Both batsmen were stranded at the non-striker’s end as bowler Steyn relayed Behardien’s throw to wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock, who broke the stumps.
South Africa retained the winning combination following their narrow triumph in the first game on Sunday, while India made three changes, bringing in Patel, seamer Mohit Sharma and Harbhajan.
The trio replaced the injured Ravichandran Ashwin, leg-spinner Amit Mishra and all-rounder Stuart Binny.
South Africa had won the preceding Twenty20 series 2-0. The one-dayers will be followed by four Test matches.
