India romp to easy win, take series 2-1

India’s spinners claimed eight wickets between them as South Africa crashed to an ignominious total of 99 all out before the home side galloped to a seven-wicket victory in just 19.1 overs in the third and deciding one-day international at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday.

India win the series 2-1.

It was South Africa’s lowest ODI total against India and their second lowest ever batting first after the 83 England dismissed them for in Nottingham in 2008.

The tourists picked up a couple of early consolation wickets with opener Shikhar Dhawan (8) run out by Marco Jansen and Ishan Kishan (10) caught by keeper Quinton de Kock off spinner Bjorn Fortuin but Shubman Gill (49) took his team to the brink of victory before falling lbw to Lungi Ngidi.

Shreyas Iyer (28* from 23 balls) finished the game with a six over long off against Jansen to make certain of an embarrassingly one-sided game, winning with 30.5 overs to spare.

Heinrich Klaasen top-scored with 34 from 42 balls (4x4), but the only other double-figure scores came from opener Janneman Malan, who cobbled together 15 from 27 balls with three fours, and allrounder Jansen who was last man out, caught at deep midwicket, for 14.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed 4-18 from 4.1 overs on a typically spin-friendly pitch in the nation’s capital with left arm finger-spinner Shabhaz Ahmed chipping in with 2-32 while offspinner Washington Sundar finished with 2-15 from four overs.

Once a regular in the Twenty20 side, Kuldeep was not picked for the World Cup starting October 16, but the 27-year-old said he was "not disappointed".

"I am not disappointed at all. I am concentrating on my process and looking to get better with every match," the man of the match told reporters.

"The players who have been selected are the best and my best wishes are with them."

BAMBOOZLED

Quinton de Kock (6) sliced Sundar to backward point in the third over of the innings and the tourists never threatened a recovery at any stage as Malan pulled a short ball from Mohammad Siraj to deep square leg.

Reeza Hendricks required 21 balls for his three runs before gloving a bouncer from Siraj to short fine leg and Aiden Markram edged Shabhaz to keeper Sanju Samson. When captain David Miller (7) was clean bowled by Sundar and Klaasen by Shabhaz, the entire top order had departed with just 66 runs on the board.

Andile Phehlukwayo (5) was bamboozled and bowled by Kuldeep’s wrong’un and the wrist-spinner made light work of the tail, trapping Bjorn Fortuin (1) lbw, bowling Anrich (0) first ball and having Jansen caught on the boundary.

Temba Bavuma and Tabraiz Shamsi missed the game “as a precaution” after sitting out Sunday’s second game with illness and Keshav Maharaj, who captained on Sunday, missed the game with illness, leaving Miller as the third captain in the three-match series.

"In hindsight, the kind of schedule that we have had... we saw the benefits of that as the Indian side, which we played against, were fresh. Our guys were maybe a little bit fatigued," South African coach Mark Boucher said.

"No excuses for that though. It's quite difficult because we don't have the depth that India has in their cricket. We are also under pressure to win every game in the one-dayers to qualify (directly) for the World Cup."

The result leaves South Africa almost certainly facing the prospect of a trip to Harare in June next year to compete in the World Cup qualifying tournament along with the likes of Scotland, Namibia, Ireland and the Netherlands in order to qualify for the World Cup in India later in the year.

INDIA: Shikhar Dhawan (capt), Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan

SOUTH AFRICA: Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Reeza Hendricks, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller(c), Marco Jansen, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje