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IND vs SA: Fans react to South Africa’s record chase in 2nd ODI in Raipur

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The second ODI in Raipur turned into a high-scoring thriller, but it was South Africa who pulled off one of their biggest wins in ODI history. Chasing a tough target of 359, the Proteas showed remarkable composure under the lights as dew made India’s task more difficult. Aiden Markram led from the front with a brilliant century, while Matthew Britzke and Dewald Brewis provided the firepower needed to keep the chase going. Despite centuries from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, India remained weak with the ball and on the field. The visiting team leveled the series 1-1 with four balls remaining. Now the stage is set for a high-risk decisive match in Visakhapatnam.

Virat Khi and Ruturaj Gaikwad’s centuries for India, Raipur

India’s innings started with a quick cameo from Rohit Sharma and a steady hand from Jaiswal, but the real fireworks came from Kohli and Gaikwad, who stitched a brilliant 195-run partnership. Kohli’s 53rd ODI century was brilliant – based on strike rotation and late acceleration, while Gaikwad’s maiden ODI century showcased his adaptability across formats. When KL Rahul came in and smashed 66 off 43 balls, India appeared to be headed towards a total of 380+, but importantly, India slowed down in the last five overs, scoring far fewer runs than expected. Missing buffer proved costly after dew became dominant in Raipur.

Aiden Markram’s brilliant century keeps South Africa hopeful

Aiden Markram produced one of the finest ODI innings by a visiting opener in India, an innings of 110 from 98 balls, which was full of fluency, accuracy and remarkable control under pressure. He started cautiously after losing Quinton de Kock early, then shifted gears with ease, finding gaps through cover and extra cover with memorable timing. His half-century came off 52 balls and from there he took aim at India’s inexperienced pace attack, particularly Prasidh Krishna, whose length repeatedly exposed Markram’s strength. The South African captain used the sweep and slog-sweep effectively against Jadeja and Kuldeep, forcing India to constantly change their fields.

Even as Bavuma and later Britzke skillfully rotated the strike, Markram remained the pivot of the chase, dictating the pace and refusing to let the required rate climb. He hit 10 fours and four sixes, each of which was clean and impressive, becoming the first South African opening batsman to score an ODI century in India since 2010. His final dismissal – an errant stroke off a slower ball from Harshit Rana – came just after crossing the three points, but by then he had tilted the match irreversibly in South Africa’s favour. The foundation they laid allowed Brewis and Britzke to attack freely, ensuring that South Africa remained comfortably ahead in the chase even under high scoreboard pressure.

The firepower of Dewald Brewis and Matthew Britzke and poor fielding conditions from India gave South Africa a famous victory

The turning point came when the wet ball was repeatedly slipping through Indian hands, forcing the ball to be changed twice and making swing and grip ineffective for the spinners. Bavuma’s 46, Bretzke’s 68 and Brewis’ explosive 34-ball 54 provided sustained momentum, with the pair adding 92 runs from just 69 balls. India’s fielding worsened, as misfields, wet ball errors and at least 25 extra runs helped South Africa chase down the target.

Although Prasidh and Harshit Rana took important wickets, they gave away a lot of runs at crucial stages. Arshdeep was one of the bowlers but got little support. Even late setbacks, injuries to De Zorzi and Berger could not derail the Proteas as Corbyn Bosch calmly completed the chase in the final over. India had to pay the price for a soft performance with the bat and a flawed performance with the ball and were forced to stage a high-risk decider in Visakhapatnam on 6 December.

Here’s how fans reacted:

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