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Mid Innings: SA vs IND (5th ODI): Rohit returns with a hundred, SA to chase 275 in PE
By Aditya Pratap - Feb 13, 2018 3:21 pm
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Team India is determined to get their first-ever One-Day International victory at the Port Elizabeth and seal the deal without stretching this series to what would be an epic final. Aiden Markram won the toss and decided to bowl under the overcast conditions with an added spinner at the cost of Chris Morris. India was unchanged after a rare blip in the ODI series.

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan gave a quick start of 48 runs but latter’s fuel ran out after scoring 34 in just 23 balls. Rohit was in the mood to break all the shackles and taste his first success in the rainbow nation. He was looking solid with every passing delivery and played some eye-pleasing shots.

Also Read: Rohit Sharma ends his run-drought with a century

On the other end, Virat Kohli was going at his usual routine of knocking one ball here and there without getting into the limelight. He received the benefit of the doubt when Heinrich Klaasen attempted a stumping off Shamsi. However, his luck ended in a rather usual way. Poor running between the wickets is very common whenever Kohli and Rohit bat together.

Ajinkya Rahane didn’t justify with yet another chance to prove his worth at number four and dismissed for 8. Shreyas Iyer played a handy knock of 30 runs at a strike rate of over 80, but couldn’t convert this score into a good knock.

Meanwhile, Hitman hit hard to comeback among the runs with a century. In the process, he ran his two partners out with poor running in the middle and he failed to deliver his death punch in response.

It was Lungisani Ngidi who delivered the death nail brilliantly with four wickets in his second spell. He came to bowl after 40 overs and dismissed Rohit and Hardik Pandya on successive balls. Shreyas Iyer was his third victim. MS Dhoni’s talisman of finishing the innings is getting faded with the time.

Also Read: Kohli gets a lucky escape with a close call

India scored 274/7 in allotted overs, where Rohit’s 115 was the lone 50+ score despite four batsmen got a start. Ngidi’s career-best figures in the ODI cricket contained India to a rather getable score at Port Elizabeth.