South Africa trounced India by 10 wickets on Friday in their fourth limited-overs international in Kolkota on Friday. Proteas captain Graeme Smith led the charge with a smashing 134 not out at the jam-packed Eden Gardens.
Smith’s opening partner, Andrew Hall, remained unbeaten on 48, showcasing his all-round display after a fine bowling performance that fetched him three for 36 runs.
Outplaying India, Smith’s team raised the chances of South Africa’s first one-day series triumph on Indian soil. South Africa now leads 2-1 in the five-match series with the final match to be played Monday.
The third one-dayer was washed out Tuesday without a single ball being bowled.
Smith hit one six and 20 boundaries from 124 deliveries, while Hall’s 94-ball knock contained four boundaries.
Before Smith’s dazzling strokeplay, it was South Africa’s pace bowlers who seized the initiative by ripping through India’s top order that was asked to bat first on a lively pitch.
Middle-order batsmen Yuvraj Singh’s 78-ball 53 and Mohammad Kaif’s 46 off 63 deliveries were the only redeeming feature of the Indian innings at Eden Gardens.
India failed to recover from a torrid start, losing three wickets for 23 in a fiery burst by South African paceman Shaun Pollock (3-25).
Irfan Pathan, who came in as an experimental opener, fell for a duck on the third ball of the match as he edged Pollock’s delivery on to his stumps.
Sachin Tendulkar created a new world record by playing in his 357th limited-overs international — surpassing former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram’s previous record of 356 one-day appearances — but contributed just two runs before becoming Pollock’s second victim.
Tendulkar was snapped by wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
Earlier in the day, Shaun Pollock and Andrew Hall grabbed three wickets each to help South Africa bowl out India.
Yuvraj Singh (53) and Mohammad Kaif (46) kept the 90 000-strong crowd entertained by adding 81 for the sixth wicket.
Hall, however, bowled superbly to ensure South Africa were left chasing less than four runs an over in the crucial day-night game.
The five-match series is locked 1-1 after the tourists won the first game in Hyderabad. India took the second match in Bangalore and rain washed out the third in Chennai.
The last match will be played in Mumbai on Monday.
Pollock struck with the third ball of the match when Irfan Pathan, promoted to open the innings, played on to his stumps without scoring.
Gautam Gambhir (11) was caught in the slips off Pollock and Virender Sehwag, who hit a robust 30 off 21 balls, edged Hall to Boucher.
India slipped to 71-5 in the 19th over when captain Rahul Dravid, who took 32 balls to score six, was clean-bowled by Charl Langeveldt.
South Africa were made to wait till the 36th over for their next success as Yuvraj and Kaif built the innings in the middle overs.
Yuvraj had hit seven boundaries when he was trapped leg-before-wicket by off-spinner Johan Botha to make India 152-6.
Kaif fell soon after when he pulled Andre Nel’s second ball of a new spell to skipper Graeme Smith at mid-wicket.
Hall claimed the last two wickets, including that of in-form Mahendra Dhoni for 14, in the space of four deliveries to terminate India’s innings in the 46th over. — Sapa-AFP