NEW DELHI: Kuldeep Yadav led India’s inspired spin bowling display by picking up four wickets to help the hosts skittle South Africa for 99 and set up a seven-wicket win in the deciding third and final one-day international in Delhi on Tuesday.

Opener Shubman Gill fell one run short of a deserved half-century as India knocked off their target in 19.1 overs, completing a 2-1 series victory after going down in the opening ODI of the series in Lucknow.

It was South Africa’s lowest ODI total against India as the touring side were bundled out in just 27.1 overs after Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and opted to field.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep finished with 4-18 while his fellow tweakers Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed picked up two wickets apiece to compound South Africa’s misery.

Fast bowler Mohammed Siraj picked up the remaining two wickets for the hosts as South Africa lost their last six wickets for 33 runs.

Once a regular in the Twenty20 side, Kuldeep was not picked for the World Cup starting on Oct 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.”

Meanwhile, South African coach Mark Boucher said, “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.

“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 series defeat leaves South Africa on the brink of missing a direct qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup in India.

They languish at 11th in the Super League table. Only the top eight teams (seven and hosts India) earn direct qualification to the 2023 tournament.

Scoreboard

SOUTH AFRICA:

J. Malan c Avesh b Siraj 15

Q. de Kock c Avesh b Sundar 6

R. Hendricks c (sub) b Siraj 3

A. Markram c Samson b Shahbaz 9

H. Klaasen b Shahbaz 34

D. Miller b Sundar 7

A. Phehlukwayo b Kuldeep 5

M. Jansen c Avesh b Kuldeep 14

B. Fortuin lbw Kuldeep 1

A. Nortje b Kuldeep 0

L. Ngidi not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-4) 5

TOTAL (all out, 27.1 overs) 99

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-7 (de Kock), 2-25 (Malan), 3-26 (Hendricks), 4-43 (Markram), 5-66 (Miller), 6-71 (Phehlukwayo), 7-93 (Klaasen), 8-94 (Fortuin), 9-94 (Nortje), 10-99 (Jansen)

BOWLING: Sundar 4-0-15-2 (2w); Siraj 5-0-17-2; Avesh 5-1-8-0 (2w); Shahbaz 7-0-32-2; Thakur 2-0-8-0; Kuldeep 4.1-1-18-4

INDIA:

S. Dhawan run out (Jansen) 8

S. Gill lbw Ngidi 49

I. Kishan c de Kock b Fortuin 10

S. Iyer not out 28

S. Samson not out 2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-5, NB-1, W-1) 8

TOTAL (for three wickets, 19.1 overs) 105

DID NOT BAT: Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Siraj

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-42 (Dhawan), 2-58 (Kishan), 3-97 (Gill)

BOWLING: Jansen 5.1-0-43-0 (1w, 1nb); Ngidi 5-0-21-1; Nortje 5-1-15-0; Fortuin 4-1-20-1

RESULT: India won by seven wickets.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Kuldeep Yadav

SERIES: India won three-match series 2-1.

MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Mohammed Siraj

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2022