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MUMBAI (India), Nov 28: India captain Rahul Dravid inspired his team to a five-wicket victory over South Africa in the fifth and final One-day International on Monday to square the series at 2-2 with one game abandoned.
Dravid struck 10 boundaries in his 106-ball 78 not out to steer the hosts to 224 for five with 15 deliveries to spare after Jacques Kallis’s valiant 91 had lifted South Africa to 221 for six in the day-night match.
Dravid, elevated to captain last month, regained his touch after making just 24 in his last three innings.
He shared in a 79-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (49), dashing South Africa’s hopes of a maiden one-day series victory in India.
South Africa, asked to bat first, struggled against the spinners who were backed by fine fielding on a slow pitch after paceman Irfan Pathan struck early to dismiss the opening pair of Andrew Hall and skipper Graeme Smith.
Kallis held the innings together with a patient knock, but missed out of a well-deserved century when he gave Pathan the charge in the 49th over to be caught in the deep.
Scoreboard
SOUTH AFRICA:
G. Smith c Harbhajan b Pathan 24
A. Hall b Pathan 4
J. Kallis c Kaif b Pathan 91
A. Prince c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 9
M. Boucher c Harbhajan b Sehwag 35
J. Kemp c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 11
S. Pollock not out 30
J. Botha not out 3
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-8, NB-2) 14
TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 221
FALL OF WKTS: 1-6, 2-36, 3-77, 4-158, 5-178, 6-209.
BOWLING: Irfan Pathan 8-1-20-3; Agarkar 7-1-33-0; R.B. Singh 6-0-27-0; Kartik 10-0-58-0; Harbhajan Singh 10-0-32-2; Sehwag 5-0-24-1; Yuvraj Singh 4-0-23-0.
INDIA:
G. Gambhir c Kemp b Ntini 0
S.R. Tendulkar c Prince b Nel 30
V. Sehwag lbw b Pollock 27
R. Dravid not out 78
Yuvraj Singh c Boucher b Nel 49
M.S. Dhoni c Boucher b Langeveldt 12
Mohammad Kaif not out 16
EXTRAS (LB-6, W-5, NB-1) 12
TOTAL (for five wkts, 47.3 overs) 224
FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-46, 3-83, 4-162, 5-201.
BOWLING: Pollock 9-1-49-1; Ntini 10-0-51-1; Nel 10-2-36-2; Langeveldt 8.3-1-39-1; Botha 6-0-24-0; Hall 4-0-19-0.
RESULT: India won by five wickets.
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Rahul Dravid.—Agencies
