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Temba Bavuma’s South Africa defeated India in a high-scoring contest in the second ODI, levelling the series 1-1. The match was played on Wednesday, December 3 at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur.
After being put in to bat, Virat Kohli once again delivered for the hosts with solid support from Ruturaj Gaikwad. Kohli brought up his 53rd ODI century, scoring 102 off 93 balls with seven fours and two sixes, while Gaikwad struck his maiden ODI hundred, making 105 off 83 balls with 12 fours and two sixes. In the final phase, KL Rahul stayed unbeaten on 66 off 43 balls as India posted 358/5 in 50 overs.
In reply, Aiden Markram was outstanding for the Proteas, scoring his fourth ODI hundred. He made 110 off 98 balls, hitting 10 fours and four sixes. Contributions from Temba Bavuma (46 off 48), Matthew Breetzke (68 off 64) and Dewald Brevis (54 off 34) kept the chase on track. Towards the end, Corbin Bosch remained unbeaten on 29 off 15 as South Africa won by four wickets with four balls to spare, making it 1-1 in the series with one match left.
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After India’s frustrating defeat in Raipur, here are five expert reactions to the Men in Blue’s loss to South Africa in the IND vs SA 2025 second ODI.
#1 Krishnamachari Srikkanth
Former India opener and 1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth felt that India could have reached around 370 had Ravindra Jadeja batted a little quicker, as he finished unbeaten on 24 off 27 balls. He also noted that the dew was a major factor, but credited South Africa for the way they played with clear roles and intent. Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said:
“Maybe India could have scored ten extra runs if Jadeja scored 30 or 35 off his 27 balls. But 358 is a huge, huge total. Yes, the problem is dew is a huge factor. We keep talking in hindsight that another ten runs could have been useful or Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul or Washington Sundar could have done more. But everything has been compensated. Despite Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal not contributing, India scored so much.”
“But South Africa played with great role clarity. One guy in a partnership went berserk while the other played second fiddle. They played superbly, let's give credit to South Africa rather than saying India should have scored another 15-20 runs or not dropped catches or conditions were wet. 358 is a huge ask irrespective of wet outfield or not. I won't accept excuses like India lost because the ball was wet. Many times the wet ball has also helped the Indian team,” he added.
#2 Harbhajan Singh
Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh praised the Proteas for their impressive cricket on this tour, having already whitewashed India in the two-match Test series. He said that at one stage India looked set for a total of around 380, but even 358 should have been defendable, adding that the hosts fell short in the bowling department. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the 45-year-old said:
“South Africa are actually playing some real good cricket, they came to India with a mission. They first won the Tests. We had dug a hole for them in Kolkata, but we ended up falling into it instead. Then even on a better surface, South Africa played better.”
“I thought at one point, India should have scored 380 runs. But both Virat and Gaikwad had got out right after hitting their 100. If one of them had gone on to score 140-150, then the job would have been done. Actually, 358 should also have been defended, but I think we lagged behind in terms of our bowling,” he added.
#3 Zaheer Khan
During a discussion on Cricbuzz, former India pacer Zaheer Khan said that the team could not have asked for more than a total of 358. While avoiding individual criticism, he pointed out that Prasidh Krishna has been the weak link in the last two matches. In Raipur, Prasidh endured a tough outing, returning figures of 2/85 in 8.2 overs. Commenting on the hosts’ loss, Zaheer said:
“You can't ask for more than 358. Yes, if you get more, it's a bonus. If you are not able to defend 358, you'll struggle to defend 370 as well. The previous game also showed a glimpse of what South Africa can do and how the Indian bowlers were under pressure. This was a progression of that in this particular game.”
“You don't have to point out any individual. But Prasidh has been that weak link in the last couple of games. He is not able to figure out exactly how to play that role. That was evident in today's game as well. His economy was also on the higher side. The captain is then always thinking about how to use your resources and whether he has enough confidence in using Prasidh,” he added.
#4 Irfan Pathan
Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan said that while South Africa’s batters played well, their bowlers also deserved credit for pulling the game back, which ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides. He pointed out that India managed only 56 runs between the 39th and 49th overs. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan said:
“Markram batted very well, Bavuma batted very well, Breetzke did too, and Dewald Brevis, who also plays for Chennai, played a brilliant innings. Now, the bowlers also deserve credit because the way they pulled things back was impressive. India’s total of 358 could have easily reached 370, but between the 39th and 49th overs they gave away only 56 runs in those 10 overs. That was a big pullback, and the fast bowlers deserve praise for that. Even Ngidi showed a big difference between how he started and how he finished.”
“In the final over, KL Rahul scored 18 runs. It was a good finish from him and a fantastic innings. That pullback was very crucial. In the end, that is where the difference came from. And then Jadeja’s batting, which we had talked about even during commentary, could cause problems for India,” he added.
#5 Aakash Chopra
Former India opener Aakash Chopra noted that at one stage it looked like the Men in Blue could reach close to 400, but they ended up scoring just 358 and were careless in the field. He also pointed out that Prasidh Krishna was very expensive. Chopra shared his views on his YouTube channel:
“Markram scored a century. Our fielding, though, was very ordinary. We were dropping catches and giving away extra runs. Even the best in the business, Jaddu, made mistakes. Yashasvi dropped catches too. I mean, it just did not sound or look very good. Prasidh Krishna was very expensive. In fact, we need to look more closely and take a deeper dive into Prasidh Krishna’s numbers because he tends to be expensive very often. I mean, he is very, very, very expensive at times.”
“Dewald Brevis is like box office. This is cinema-level stuff. What a player, the way he hits. He smashed us in the previous match and again today. When Marco got out, it felt like you might win. There was a lot of thrill and a lot of drama, but in the end, you lost the match. And then my mind went back to the last 10 overs when it seemed you could reach 400, but you left runs on the table, you left runs out there. Jaddu played well in the previous match, but here it was run-a-ball. In fact, that partnership with Rahul was a run-a-ball. Towards the end, you nearly reached 360, but you should have made 400,” he added.
The two teams will face off again for the series decider on Saturday, December 6, in Visakhapatnam.
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