Virat Kohli's second successive hundred was not enough as South Africa, aided by Aiden Markram's ton, chased down a target of 359 to clinch a four-wicket win and level their one-day international (ODI) series 1-1 in Raipur on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad hundreds help India set 359-run target in second ODI
In the chase, India lost Shubman Gill for a golden duck, while Marco Jansen got rid of Abhishek Sharma and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav, before Baartman broke the 35-run stand between Axar Patel and Varma.
The former South African pacer said Ganguly will get to know more about his role once he joins the team and meets the players.
The T20 WC champions will look to enter this phase with clarity of intent as they refine roles, streamline combinations and settle the XI that will carry the weight of expectations in front of home crowds.
Shubman's T20I series participation against South Africa doubtful; Samson, Jaiswal contenders for the slot
Kane Williamson is unavailable for ODI selection due to his commitments in the SA20 league.
Abhishek Sharma shone with both bat and ball as Punjab hammered Puducherry by 54 runs in a Group C encounter of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy , in Hyderabad, on Thursday.
South Africa pulled off a sensational victory inside three days of the opening Test against India on Sunday and the manner of it would go a long way in silencing those who doubted their credentials as the reigning world test champions.
Domestic veterans Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Rinku Singh could keep the team management interested going forward in Test cricket.
K L Rahul takes over the captaincy after regular skipper Shubman Gill missed the series because of a neck injury.
Even as the focus remains on the T20 World Cup which is less than a month away, Kohli and Rohit will hog the limelight in the three ODIs over the next seven days.
India said it is closely monitoring the evolving situation in Venezuela and reaffirmed its support for the well-being of people of the country.
Senuran Muthusamy and Marco Jansen made Indian finger spinners' look ordinary in good batting conditions with invaluable lower-order contributions as South Africa seized control of the second Test.
On a surface offering little assistance for bowlers, South Africa's top order had frittered away starts but number seven Muthusamy marshalled a lower-order surge with a composed 109.
India's chances of reaching the World Test Championship finals (WTC) took a major hit as they slipped to the fifth spot in standings following their embarrassing 0-2 series whitewash to South Africa at home.
Jansen has turned it around with bat, and now he''s a premium all-rounder: Jacques Kallis
Charlie Smith, one of the thousands of England fans cheering on Ben Stokes's struggling team, stopped off on the way to the ground to buy bin bags and gather up the garbage.
'Of course, when you face a quality bowling attack, they can more often than not get the ball in the danger area and it does too much for you. And unfortunately, that's been the case today.'
The focus is to bring momentum back into the Indian dressing room: Morne Morkel
We wanted India to grovel: SA coach Shukri Conrad creates a stir
After bowling out SA A for 309, overnight 299/9, in the first session, India succumbed to their own waywardness, and the relentlessness of off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen (5/61), to concede an innings lead of 75.
Ravichandran Ashwin exposed India batters' lack of quality to battle ball tweakers by claiming that if legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar or past domestic heroes Amol Muzumdar, the India women's team head coach and Mithun Manhas had played against spinners on such a track, the Test would have gone to four days, unlike India's harrowing 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens.
India will look to address several lingering selection puzzles when they take on South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday in the first ODI of the three-match series, where Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the set-up for a short audition that could well shape their 2027 World Cup fate.
South Africa's head coach Shukri Conrad is backing his spin troika of Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer to match their seasoned counterparts from India and "make history of our own" in the upcoming Test series
Lungi Ngidi's call-up indicates that Kagiso Rabada, who missed the team's memorable win in Kolkata due to a rib injury, is still uncertain for the Guwahati Test
Tata Steel's two Dutch subsidiaries are facing a 1.4 billion lawsuit in the Netherlands alleging health and property damage caused by emissions from the company's steelmaking operations, a charge which the Indian conglomerate labelled as "unsubstantiated and speculative". In an exchange filing, Tata Steel said that environmental group Stichting Frisse Wind.nu (SFW) has served a writ of summons on Tata Steel Nederland BV and Tata Steel IJmuiden BV on December 19.
Grind pays off for Ruturaj Gaikwad, now upto him and luck to prove his 50-over mettle.
There were speculations that Ashwin could enter the SA20 2026 auction, considering players retired from Indian cricket being eligible to participate in the overseas league
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led India will be playing an ODI World Cup final for the third time, having finished runners-up in 2005 and 2017 to Australia and England, respectively. This will be South Africa's maiden appearance in the final.
Arsenal closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, smashing third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to surge five points clear at the top of the Premier League.
South Africa coach Shukri Conrad was overwhelmed to see his spinners rule the roost in the first Test against India at the Eden Gardens, signalling to him that the Rainbow Nation is no longer an exclusive "fast bowling country" and hoped that a lot more slow bowlers will emerge.
South Africa's stunning three-day win over India at Eden Gardens has drawn reactions from some of cricket's biggest names, with AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Dale Steyn celebrating the historic result while Kevin Pietersen used the collapse-filled Test to launch a scathing critique of modern batting.
Earlier, after incessant rain interrupted the exciting contest, South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt won the toss and opted to field against the hosts India.
South Africa's young batting sensation became the most expensive batter in the history of SA20
'But I would say given the importance of this series and given the conditions we think we are going to face, he (Nitish Kumar Reddy) might miss out in this Test this week.'
South Africa's pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada has been ruled out of the second Test against India
The South Africa bowling coach is also hopeful of off-spinner Simon Harmer, one of the heroes of the the visitors' memorable win in the first Test at Eden Gardens, playing in the final game of the short series while also ruling out any issue with his fitness.
Gaikwad guides India A to four wicket win over South Africa A
The Bombay High Court converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) saying "someone has to be held accountable" for the tragedy in which 25 people were killed.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Investor Information - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances