Sunday 25 October 2015

Retired hurt: 
It was inevitable, wasn't it? Du Plessis limps back to the dug out on 133 off 115 balls.
Century, cramps and sixes: 
Du Plessis is doing just about everything here! He reached his century but has been struggling with cramps. He smashed two straight sixes off Axar Patel and had the physio run over to help him stretch. He managed to continue, tonked the third six off the over and fell on his back with cramps. Dhoni came to his help from behind the stumps to help him stretch before the physio was out in the middle again. The long over ended with Du Plessis fetching a boundary over extra-cover. That's 24 runs in the over! Du Plessis and De Villiers have now added 150 runs for the third wicket! South Africa 340 for two in 43 overs!
My 434-revisited concept is not all lost! 
Milestone: 300 comes up
De Villiers brings up South Africa's 300 with a devastating blow over deep mid-wicket off Mohit. South Africa have reached 300 in just the 41st over.
Meanwhile in Mysuru: 
Karnataka have held their nerve to see off a draw against Haryana. Virender Sehwag's side will take three points based on first-innings lead.
AB, AB, AB: 
Crowds all over India have chanted AB de Villiers' name all through the series. The Wankhede isn't behind in this effort! He's got his fifty, got a few shots going and has enough overs left to take his batting madness to an all new level. SA 283 for two in 39 overs.
Milestone: FIFTY for De Villiers
And the South African skipper gets to his milestone with a six! He's taken just 34 balls.SA 276 for two in 38.2 overs.
What a platform: 
Faf du Plessis (79 off 92 balls) and AB de Villiers (44 off 30 balls) have positioned themselves for a manic sprint to the finish. SA 261 for two in 37 overs. How much more can these two get in 78 deliveries? Can they go past 350?
Out of options: 
Dhoni has turned to the 'gentle medium-pace' of Virat Kohli here as the majority of the bowlers have struggled today. The Indian Test skipper, to his credit, does well to concede just five runs.
WICKET: Raina gets the breakthrough!
And Quinton de Kock is gone! A bit of fatigue, there? He went aerial again but failed to clear Virat Kohli at long-off. Is this where India make a comeback or is the platform set for AB de Villiers to blaze away? 
Phenominal Consistency: Fifty for Faf
Faf du Plessis has brought up his fourth fifty of the series. What an exceptional performer he has been this tour!
Will the 434 game be revisited? Indian fans can only hope
Quinton de Kock smashed a 78-ball century.
Quinton de Kock smashed a 78-ball century. © BCCI
STAT: De Kock destined for greatness
Take a bow, De Kock: 
Quinton de Kock absolutely loves playing against India, doesn't he? He has brought up a devastating century off just 78 balls, his FIFTH against India. At the rate he is scoring, he might get to a double ton. Incredible, incredible batting from the baby-faced southpaw.
Superb stand: 
De Kock and Du Plessis have added over 100 runs for the second wicket here. The Mumbai heat is not helping the Indian bowlers either. They're struggling on a nothing track as De Kock inches towards yet another century against India. South Africa reach 142 for one in 20 overs.
Milestone: FIFTY for De Kock
He loves playing against India, doesn't he? Quinton de Kock has yet another half-century, coming off 42 balls and involving 10 strokes dispatched to the boundary. Excellent batting from the Southpaw. 
Milestone: FIFTY for De Kock
He loves playing against India, doesn't he? Quinton de Kock has yet another half-century, coming off 42 balls and involving 10 strokes dispatched to the boundary. Excellent batting from the Southpaw. 
De Kock and Amla flayed the Indian bowlers to keep the scoring rate high.
De Kock and Amla flayed the Indian bowlers to keep the scoring rate high. © BCCI
Powerplay: SA 73 for 1 in 10 overs
Despite the fall of Hashim Amla, the first round of the final bout goes to the visitors as they've raked up the runs in the powerplay overs. Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla have not taken the foot off the pedal even as India pressed for an advantage after removing Amla. 
Seamers struggle: 
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma have struggled today, conceding 61 runs in seven overs. Won't be a surprise if Dhoni employs spin from both ends. 
Disciplined start: Good start from Harbhajan Singh. He bowls with a leg slip in place and concedes just one run. Just the kind of control Dhoni would like on this game after the pacers leaked a truckload of runs. SA 53 for one in seven overs.
Spin soon?: Bhajji warming up
Our man Vishaal says Harbhajan Singh was warming up during the Mohit Sharma over when Amla got out. Will the wicket make an change to the plan or will we seen spin introduced soon. Given how well De Kock has got going, a spinner will be a good punt here.
WICKET: Amla goes
Mohit Sharma strikes! For all the breathtaking display of batting, Hashim has fallen prey to extra bounce here! He did not anticipate it, chased after a slightly shortish and wide delivery and nicked it to MS Dhoni. Amla departs for 23, finishing the series with 89 runs in five innings.
Amla pierced the gap with the precision to put early pressure on India.
Amla pierced the gap with the precision to put early pressure on India. © BCCI
STAT ATTACK: Amla becomes the fastest to reach 6,000 ODI runs
The SA opener has brought up the milestone in 126 matches!
Good start: Amla, De Kock play their shots
Superb outfield and a batting track - Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock will revel on this wicket. Bhuvneshwar and Mohit have already conceded three fours between them in an over each. It's going to be an energy-sapping day for the hosts in the field. Will be interesting to see how soon Dhoni brings a spinner on.
Can Dhoni steer India to a series win at the Wankhede?
Can Dhoni steer India to a series win at the Wankhede? © BCCI
Wankhede filling fast: Our man Vishaal Loganathan is at the Wankhede and he says the stands are not full yet but the noise level, as expected, is incredible. Normal day in the office, then!
Toss: South Africa opt to bat
AB de Villiers has won the toss and opted to bat first here. Chris Morris and Aaron Phangiso make way for Dean Elgar and Kyle Abbott. India go in with an unchanged line-up.
INDIA XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Axar Patel, Harbhajan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma
SOUTH AFRICA XI: Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers, David Miller, Dean Elgar, Farhaan Behardien, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada
Preview: The iconic Wankhede stadium in Mumbai is primed for a top-quality tussle on Sunday as India and South Africa seek to fight it out for the One-Day International (ODI) series honours. For all the criticism and scrutiny faced by Dhoni and his men, they have done well to claw their way back from two high-pressure deficits to gain parity and a shot at bragging rights. As for the visitors, they have thrilled and fallen flat alternatively, and will hope to bring a fruitful end to the pattern in the finale. 

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