Muristek
PAARL, January 21
Opener Janneman Malan scored 91 as South Africa chased down a victory target of 288 for a comfortable seven-wicket win over India and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after the second ODI at Boland Park here today.
India chose to bat in sweltering conditions, with the mercury rising above 40deg;C for much of the day. The visitors posted 287/6 in their 50 overs, which looked a good total on a slow wicket that should have favoured them.
But South Africa paced their reply superbly, with Malan and fellow opener Quinton de Kock (78 from 66 balls) putting on 132 for the first wicket.
Malan, who now has three hundreds and three fifties in his 12 ODI innings, put on another 80 with captain Temba Bavuma (35) before he was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah, the ball deflecting onto the stumps off his elbow. The home side, who won the first ODI by 31 runs, reached their target with 11 balls to spare.
Coming into this series, no one gave us much of a chance, so that really gave us motivation Temba Bavuma, South Africa batsman
We are making mistakes, but it is a good learning for us, though it is not great to be on the losing side two games in a row. I don't think it was a pitch where they should have chased down 280 that easily, but they played really well. Look ahead to the third game and try to win that one KL Rahul, India Captain
Sparkling Pant
Rishabh Pant led the Indian charge in their innings with an excellent 85 from 71 balls in which he played some sparkling shots all around the wicket before picking out long-on Aiden Markram off the bowling of wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (2/57). He put on 115 for the third wicket with captain KL Rahul (55), which followed a duck by former skipper Virat Kohli, who could not follow up his half-century in the last game with another big score.
South Africa were sloppy in the field, with a number of dropped catches and missed run-out chances, and might feel they gave India 20-30 runs. "We are making mistakes, but it is a good learning for us, though it is not great to be on the losing side two games in a row," Rahul said.
Brief scores: India: 287/6 (Pant 85, Rahul 55; Shamsi 2/57); South Africa: 288/3 (Malan 91, de Kock 78; Bumrah 1/37). — Reuters
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