Highlights: India vs South Africa 4th ODI - Hosts Level Five-Match Series in Style Despite AB de Villiers' Magnificent 112
Cometh the hour, Cometh the man. Virat Kohli put on a magnificent show with the bat for India as he blasted his 23rd century. For South Africa, AB de Villiers put on a brave show but his 22nd century could not help the Proteas get over the line. Catch all the moments of the match here.
India were boosted by the brilliance of Virat Kohli as he scored his 23rd ODI century. His partnerships with Suresh Raina, who came back to form with a glorious fifty and Ajinkya Rahane, were key in ensuring India reached a big total. South Africa started off well but with the introduction of the spinners, the middle order were blown away and they could not get any momentum. AB de Villiers fought a lone hand and his 22nd ODI century gave South Africa hope but with his dismissal, the match ended and the series is now level 2-2. Relive all the action here. (Scorecard | News | Photos | Videos)
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21:30 hrs IST: It is all over and India will be celebrating Dusshera in style in Chennai. Virat Kohli's sensational 138 gave India a huge total for their bowlers to defend. South Africa got off to a great start but with the introduction of Harbhajan Singh and Axar Patel, South Africa lost momentum in the middle overs. AB de Villiers kept the side in the hunt and his 22nd century was glorious. However, with his dismissal, it was all over for South Africa and they have lost the match by 35 runs to level the series 2-2.
21:01 hrs IST: What a massive moment. Chennai erupts with joy and AB de Villiers falls for a magnificent 112. This is probably it for South Africa. India are just three wickets away from leveling the series. AB de Villiers c MS Dhoni b Bhuvneshwar 112(107).
Short ball from Bhuvneshwar and de Villiers goes for the pull, he gets a faint edge and the keeper snaps it up. Ends a great knock from de Villiers and India are three wickets away from making it 2-2. South Africa 233/7 in 44.3, needing 67 more runs for victory off 33 balls.
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20:49 hrs IST: Absolutely magnificent from AB de Villiers! He gets to his 22nd century and his second this series with a six. Can he pull off something spectacular? South Africa are 221/6 in 42.3 overs, needing 79 off 45 balls. AB, take a bow!
20:30 hrs IST: Lets be clear, folks. Till AB de Villiers continues to rotate the strike, South Africa are in the game. He can explode in the death overs and they will be within touching distance
20:22 hrs IST: Oh boy! AB de Villiers is turning it on. He unfurls the reverse sweep/pull off Harbhajan Singh and he moves to 71 off 77 balls. Until he is there, South Africa will think there is a chance.
20:11 hrs IST: There is some hope for South Africa! AB de Villiers scores his 48th ODI fifty off 67 balls and he has started to up the ante. He smashes three consecutive fours off Bhuvneshwar and two consecutive fours off Mishra. Will the missed run-out prove to be the deciding factor?
20:07 hrs IST: WICKET! Amit Mishra, who was denied a wicket two balls later, gets a wicket and South Africa sink further into the mire. Farhaan Behardien LBW Amit Mishra 22 (38).
Mishra, who was denied a wicket when Behardien missed the cut, responds in style. He flights this delivery on middle and Behardien misses the sweep, umpire S Ravi raises the finger and Behardien goes for 22.
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19:58 hrs IST: Catch missed by Bhuvneshwar! Behardien attempted a slog sweep and the top edge flies to deep midwicket, Bhuvneshwar runs back but he is unable to reach it. He misjudges and Behardien survives.
19:48 hrs IST: The partnership between Behardien and de Villiers is slowly getting South Africa back on track. They have fallen well behind the run-rate and it needs something special from de Villiers to change the course of the match. The stand has gone past fifty.
19:38 hrs IST: AB de Villiers survives a chance! Raina had a chance to hit from point-blank range and he missed. Amit Mishra gets this legbreak to spin away as de Villiers comes down the track. The edge lands just in front of Raina who has a shy at the striker's end but misses. How costly will this be for India?
19:30 hrs IST: Harbhajan Singh's wonderful performance has gotten several people excited, including Virender Sehwag, who tweeted about it.
Well done Bhajji paa keep going like that . We need 5 Wkt from u today
- Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 22, 2015
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19:17 hrs IST: Harbhajan Singh strikes back. The spinner traps David Miller plumb in front of the wicket. David Miller lbw Harbhajan Singh 6 (12)
19:16 hrs IST: David Miller hits Harbhajan Singh for a four. First boundary after 52 balls.
19:12 hrs IST: David Miller comes to bat. South Africa 83 for three in 16 overs.
19:05 hrs IST: Axar Patel picks his first wicket. Faf du Plessis edges the spinner as MS Dhoni takes an easy catch. Du Plessis barely moved his feet as the ball turned sharply and he was caught behind. The South African is unhappy with the decision, feels his bat didn't connect with the ball. Faf du Plessis c Dhoni b Axar patel 17 (34)
19:03 hrs IST: Faf du Plessis seems to be ok. He is back at the crease.
18:58 hrs IST: Ouch! That hurt!! AB de Villiers' powerful shot off Harbhajan Singh hits Faf du Plessis on the right elbow at the non-striker's end. Team physio called.
18:54 hrs IST: South Africa captain AB de Villiers comes to bat. Proteas have moved to 71 for two in 13 overs.
18:49 hrs IST: Bhajji strikes! Quinton de Kock couldn't read Harbhajan Singh's ball, which turned quite a lot, and edges to first slip. Ajinkya Rahane makes no mistake. Quinton de Kock c Rahane b Harbhajan Singh 43 (35)
18:45 hrs IST: Axar Patel replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the bowling attack. This is Patel's first over and he gives just two runs. ÂÂ
18:41 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar continues to leak runs and Quinton de Kock has raced away to 41 off 30 balls. South Africa are 62/1 after nine overs, with Bhuvneshwar conceding 35 runs in five overs.
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18:29 hrs IST: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on Virat Kohli following his knock of 138. You can read about the master's praise here.
18:22 hrs IST: WICKET! Hashim Amla's poor form continues. Like Shikhar Dhawan, he is also struggling at the top. Hashim Amla c Dhawan b Mohit Sharma 7 (11).
Short ball from Mohit Sharma and Amla, who is on the front foot, looks to ungainly pull it to mid wicket but ends up offering a simple catch to Dhawan who takes it over his head. India are 36/1 in 5.1 overs.
18:18 hrs IST: South Africa are motoring along as De Kock goes after the bowling. He has hit four boundaries in his knock and Bhuvneshwar has leaked 26 runs in his three overs. South Africa 36/0 after five overs.
18:09 hrs IST: Chaos in the third over. Quinton de Kock chips a length ball to the left of Bhuvneshwar and the ball eludes him. De Kock and Amla are almost at the same end and Amla has to put in the hard strides. Rohit Sharma fires the throw at the striker's end and he misses. Amla would have been a goner if that had hit.
18:06 hrs IST: Missed Virat Kohli's epic knock of 138 in Chepauk? You can relieve all the moments of the knock here.
17:57 hrs IST: Loose start for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He concedes eight runs in his first over and Quinton de Kock gets going with a boundary. Can Mohit Sharma, another CSK stalwart, exploit the conditions better?
17:45 hrs IST: Meanwhile, in Colombo, West Indies have ended the day at 17/1 after bowling Sri Lanka out for 200. In Dubai, Pakistan are 209/4 against England, with Misbah-ul-Haq scoring a fifty.
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17:32 hrs IST: Virat Kohli has stolen the show with a breath-taking display of batting in the heat of Chennai. He looked confident right from the start and smashed his 23rd ODI century and first against South Africa, thus becoming the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to complete the set. His 127-run stand with Suresh Raina, who also came back to form with a wonderful fifty, was instrumental in India reaching 299/8. Before the partnership with Raina, Ajinkya Rahane gave him good company with a solid stand. India hold the upper hand and they will be hoping that the spinners come to the party.
17:28 hrs IST: India will be a bit disappointed that they did not get past 300. Steyn once again bowled a good final over and MS Dhoni perished for 15 while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was run-out for a first-ball duck. India have ended up on 299/8, a total which is wonderful considering that the track in Chennai gets slower as the game progresses. Suresh Raina has said that the spin trio of Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra will be a handful on this deck.
17:17 hrs IST: WICKET! Harbhajan goes first ball. He tried to tuck a short ball on leg stump to the on side but the ball thuds into the pads and rolls back onto the stumps. India are 295/6 after 49 overs.
17:15 hrs IST: WICKET! Virat Kohli perishes after a brilliant knock. The Chennai crowd are on their feet and they give a standing ovation. Virat Kohli c Quinton de Kock b Rabada 138 (140).
Rabada bowls a short delivery down the leg side and Kohli goes for the pull, he gets a glove and De Kock catches it. Kohli goes for a brilliant hundred and the Chennai crowd are on their feet.
17:09 hrs IST: The highest ODI score at this venue is 337/7 by Asia XI in the match against Africa XI in 2007. In that match, Sourav Ganguly had chipped in with 88. Asia XI also have the second-highest score at this venue when they smashed 331/8, with MS Dhoni scoring 139. In a match involving international teams, Pakistan have the highest score at this venue with 327/5, the match best remembered for Saeed Anwar's record 194.
17:00 hrs IST: Virat Kohli is struggling with cramps and he is going for the big shots. The crowd erupt in joy as MS Dhoni comes to the crease. He has an average of 153 in ODIs at this venue. The crowd and the city love MS Dhoni. India 277/4 in the 46th over.
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16:51 hrs IST: After scores of 3,0,0, Raina roars back to form with a fine fifty off 48 balls. It is his 36th ODI fifty and second against South Africa. 'Kutti Singham' is really lighting it up in his Chennai den. India are punishing South Africa and they are 261/3 after 44 overs.
16:48 hrs IST: Catch dropped! When the best fielder in the world drops a catch, you know that South Africa are rattled. Raina comes down the track and looks to loft a full delivery to mid wicket, the ball spins away and the leading edge flies to mid-off, AB de Villiers and Tahir converge but de Villiers drops the catch. He just cannot believe it.
16:39 hrs IST: Kohli and Raina are going ballistic in Chennai and India are looking at a huge score. In Colombo, Sri Lanka have been bowled out for 200 against the West Indies while in Dubai, Pakistan are 178/3 with Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq going strong.
16:30 hrs IST: Virat Kohli is only the second Indian after the great Sachin Tendulkar to score a century against all Test-playing nations in ODIs. The apprentice is matching up to the master in more ways than one. Read about Kohli's achievement here.
16:26 hrs IST: Virat Kohli got to his century with a six off a spinner. In a way, this is a fitting tribute to Virender Sehwag, who just announced his retirement from international cricket. India are 219/3 after 39 overs.
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16:21 hrs IST: Absolutely brilliant stuff from Virat Kohli. He dances down the track to Aaron Phangiso and launches him over long on to get to his 23rd ODI century, his first against South Africa. Suresh Raina is also starting to tee off. India are 207/3 in 37.2 overs and they are looking on course for a score of over 300.
16:16 hrs IST: Raina is taking a liking to Rabada. After smashing him for a boundary in the previous over, he goes one better and lofts him straight over long on for a six. This is the Raina that all India has been waiting for ever since the start of the series. Kohli will be on strike and he has been in the nineties for some time now.
16:08 hrs IST: Suresh Raina is slowly getting into the groove. He spots the slower delivery from Kagiso Rabada and effortlessly lofts him over mid-on for a boundary. India 191/3 after 35 overs, with Kohli on 93. Meanwhile, read about Virender Sehwag's masterful knock against defending Ranji Trophy champions Karnataka.
16:02 hrs IST: WHAM! Imran Tahir's fingers are saved. Kohli blasts a flighted delivery past him and the ball races away to the fence. He moves to 91, which is his highest score against South Africa. Next ball, almost a run-out. Kohli pushes the ball to mid-on and sets off for a risky single. The fielder misses with the throw at the bowler's end. Kohli would have been a goner if that had hit.
15:52 hrs IST: While Kohli is making South Africa toil, in Dubai, Younis Khan notches up his 30th Test fifty. Truly, a legend! In Colombo, Milinda Siriwardana is fighting a lone battle against the West Indies. India, after 33 overs, are 176/3.
15:46 hrs IST: Kohli is making rapid progress towards his century. The South African pace bowlers are generating some reverse swing but Kohli is negotiating them well. Raina is staying off strike and he is taking his time to settle in. Looks like he is heeding the words of his captain, MS Dhoni.
15:34 hrs IST: No hat-trick of ducks for Suresh Raina. He nudges Steyn off his pads to get off the mark. Can he repeat his Chennai Super Kings exploits at the Chepauk turf?
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15:30 hrs IST: WICKET! Dale Steyn, who has struggled in this match so far, comes back for another spell and gets rid of Ajinkya Rahane. South Africa breathe easy after this dangerous 100--plus stand is broken. Ajinkya Rahane c De Kock b Steyn 45 (53).
Steyn gives a bit of room and Rahane attempts the cut, but the ball stays low and the ball takes the bottom edge which is accepted by De Kock. Steyn is pumped up and the 104-run stand is broken. Enter Suresh Raina who is under immense pressure. India 139/3 after 26.1 overs.
15:21 hrs IST: The 100-run partnership is up between Kohli and Rahane. Chris Morris and Kohli are exchanging words and the South Africans are clearly ruffled by this partnership. India are 136/2 after 25 overs.
15:13 hrs IST: Aaron Phangiso and Imran Tahir are proving to be ineffective on this deck so far. The pacers are continuing to operate but South Africa skipper AB de Villiers is running out of options. Both batsmen are in that zone where they can lay a base for a massive score. India are scoring close to six runs an over and in the 24th over, India are 133/2.
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14:57 hrs IST: Virat Kohli, who was in the midst of the a run drought heading into the series, has broken it in grand style. He follows up the fifty in Rajkot with another fifty in Chennai off 51 balls. This is his 35th ODI fifty overall. The partnership with Rahane is really going strong. However, he survives some anxious moments while running in between the wickets and when he got to his fifty, he had to put in the dive to avoid being run-out. India 105/2 in 20.1 overs.
14:44 hrs IST: The Kohli-Rahane partnership is going strong. Meanwhile in Colombo, Sri Lanka have reached 145/6 at tea on day one against the West Indies with Milinda Siriwardana scoring his maiden fifty while in Dubai, the old firm of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan are steadying the ship for Pakistan against England.
14:38 hrs IST: The partnership between Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane is getting India back in the game. Kohli is the aggressor while Rahane is calmly rotating the strike. Dale Steyn is struggling so far as he concedes 12 runs in his fourth over. The fifty-run partnership is up between these two in just 49 balls. This could be Kohli's day. In the last five overs, India have scored 39 runs.
14:25 hrs IST: Virender Sehwag, who announced his retirement from International Cricket and IPL on Tuesday, has just scored his 42nd first-class century in the Ranji Trophy match against defending champions Karnataka. Hail Viru!
14:19 hrs IST: With India having lost a wicket, their neighbors are also not far behind. Pakistan have lost Shan Masood for 54 in the first ball after lunch in Dubai while at the P Sara Oval in Colombo, Sri Lanka are fighting back after being 90/5 against West Indies.
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14:10 hrs IST: Magnificent catch by Quinton de Kock and the short ball ploy has worked magnificently for South Africa. Dhawan's poor series continues. Shikhar Dhawan c De Kock b Rabada 7 (15).
Brilliant from De Kock. Rabada bowls a short ball down the leg side and Dhawan could have left it alone. However, he goes for the pull and the ball loops off the glove to the right of the keeper, De Kock throws himself to the right and takes a stunning one-handed catch. India 35/2 in 7.5 overs.
13:59 hrs IST: In the air but just out of reach. South Africa are testing the Indian batsmen with some good short-pitched bowling. Rabada bowls a short ball on the body of Kohli and he goes for the hook shot, however, the ball hits his glove and it flies just past the outstretched hands of Quinton de Kock.
13:55 hrs IST: Just when he was looking good, Rohit Sharma falls. Soft dismissal actually. Rohit Sharma c Faf du Plessis b Chris Morris 21 (19).
Tame dismissal for Rohit. Morris bowls a length ball on the pads and Rohit comes on the front foot and flicks it to midwicket, du Plessis lunges forward and takes a low catch with both hands. South Africa have removed the set batsman and out comes Virat Kohli at number three. India 28/1 after 4.5 overs.
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13:42 hrs IST: In the air and just over Rabada at short fine leg. Morris bowls a short ball on leg stump and Rohit swivels to pull it to fine leg, Rabada leaps but the ball just eludes him and it goes to the long leg fence. Morris gives away nine runs in his first over and Rohit has started well with three boundaries.
13:40 hrs IST: Kagiso Rabada has given away seven runs in his first over with Rohit Sharma starting off with a boundary. Surprisingly, Dale Steyn, who bowled the first over, has been taken off and Chris Morris is into the attack.
13:36 hrs IST: While the match between India and South Africa in Chennai is going on, elsewhere in the world, England have pulled things back in Dubai against Pakistan while in Colombo, Sri Lanka are in big trouble against the West Indies, with the visitors enjoying the advantage for the first time in this tour.
13:24 hrs IST: Sunil Gavaskar is offering tips to Suresh Raina and Axar Patel. Both players need to contribute with the bat in this crucial match.
13:17 hrs IST: On paper, this is a home match for India. Mahendra Singh Dhoni enjoys enormous popularity in Chennai due to his exploits with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. Suresh Raina is also the darling of the Chennai fans, as he is titled 'Kutti Singham' meaning Little Tiger in Tamil. However, even Faf du Plessis would be feeling like he is close to home. He has been a vital member of the CSK squad in the last couple of seasons while Chris Morris, the fast bowler who has replaced Morne Morkel, was part of Chennai Super Kings during the 2013 season.
13:07 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs for both teams. Amit Mishra, who has been in the news recently, has been retained while the rest of the line-up remains the same. Interesting to know how the batting order will be.
South Africa (Playing XI): David Miller, Quinton de Kock(wicketkeeper), Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers(captain), Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, Imran Tahir, Aaron Phangiso
India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni(wk/c), Suresh Raina, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma
13:05 hrs IST: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the toss and they will bat first. AB de Viliers, the South Africa captain has admitted that losing the toss on this wicket is a big factor. India are unchanged while South Africa have made two forced changes. Morne Morkel, who was suffering a sore leg during the Rajkot ODI, misses out while JP Duminy, who suffered a hand injury in Rajkot after trying to stop a bludgeoning straight drive from MS Dhoni, has been ruled out of the entire series. Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso come into the side.
13:00 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the fourth ODI between India and South Africa from Chennai. India are trailing the series 1-2 and this match will be vital for their chances if they are to stay alive. South Africa, on the other hand, are on the cusp of their first bilateral ODI series win in India and they will be determined to seal the deal in Chepauk