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South Africa thrash hapless India, yet again
South Africa clinched the three-match ODI series against India by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead after registering a 134-run win in the second one-dayer in Durban on Sunday.
Sent into bat, South Africa scored 280-6 in the allotted 49 overs, the game being delayed by 90 minutes owing to overcast conditions and a wet outfield, before bundling India out for 146 in 35.1 overs.
Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the pick of the South African bowlers, with figures of four for 25. Dale Steyn continued to terrorize the Indian batsmen with a haul of three for 17.
Morne Morkel picked up two wickets and Vernon Philander, in the squad in place of Wayne Parnell, picked up the all important wicket of MS Dhoni.
Earlier, Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl. The Indian team has made three changes to the squad with an unfit Yuvraj Singh making way for Ajinkya Rahane in the batting department.
In the bowling changes, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma were replaced by Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. In the final analysis, every thing backfired for the visitors.
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav.
South Africa: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Quniton de Kock, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, David Miller, Ryan McLaren, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Lonwabe Tsotsobe.
De Kock scored a second straight hundred
Earlier, South Africa's in-form opening pair of Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla each knocked up hundreds as the hosts posted a competitive 280 for six.
This was de Kock's second successive century, and third overall, after his 135 in the first game at the New Wanderers.
In doing so, they put on an opening stand worth 194 runs, the second best ever for South Africa. It was also the best opening stand at Kingsmead besting the 170 added by the Australian pair of Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden back in 2002.
De Kock became only the third South African to score consecutive ODI tons. Amla had done so versus Zimbabwe in 2010 and before him, Herschelle Gibbs got three successive centuries against Bangladesh, India and Kenya (in 2002).
The 20-year-old was named the man of the match for the second straight game.
Amla bested Sir Viv Richards' feat
Amla had a memorable game.
When on 59, he crossed the 4000-run mark in ODI, the quickest to do so in 81 matches, besting Sir Vivian Richards' mark of 88 ODIs.
The 30-year-old soon completed his first hundred at Durban, his 12th ODI ton and his third against India.
Amla also took a brilliant catch at short midwicket to end Rohit Sharma's (19) stay at the crease.
With an imposing target in front of them the Indian batsmen simply capitulated, in the face of some aggressive bowling and agility on the field.