Virat Kohli got to a brisk fifty against South Africa in the third and final ODI at Centurion on Sunday and then proceeded to whip out the ‘cradle’ celebration. Kohli dedicated his fifty to his daughter, Vamika, who was in the arms of his mother, Anushka Sharma at the Newlands and the video instantly went viral.
The day, however, ended in disappointment for Kohli and his teammates after India lost the match by just 4 runs, allowing South Africa to complete a 3-0 whitewash. India’s formidable batting line-up was a letdown once again and despite half centuries by Virat Kohli (65 off 83 balls), Shikhar Dhawan (61 off 73 balls) and Deepak Chahar (54 off 34 balls), India were on the losing side for a third straight time, this time in pursuit of 288, ending a disastrous tour of the ‘Rainbow Nation’.
Asked to take first strike, South Africa were all out for 287 after Quinton de Kock’s attacking hundred and Rassie van der Dussen’s fluent half-century. In reply, India were all out for 283 in 49.2 overs, completely mis-handling a chase that should have been completed smoothly.
All in all, the limited overs series turned out to be one of the most disappointing outings for India in recent years, especially after having blanked the Proteas in their backyard in 2018.
They began the tour on a rousing note, winning the opening Test by 113 runs but lost the plot thereafter, failing miserably to challenge the South Africans. It was especially for KL Rahul, who lost all four matches he captained during the tour (one Test and three ODIs).
