Kohli’s dominance vs Proteas team ethic to decide ODI series

Dew, and therefore the toss, could determine whether the Proteas carve out another slice of history for themselves or if India claim some redemption in Saturday’s ODI series decider in Visakhapatnam.

South Africa won the toss in the first two ODIs and understandably chose to bat second, taking advantage of heavy dew which settles after sunset.

That made bowling — especially for India’s spinners — much more difficult, as they’ve struggled to grip the ball.

In the second match India changed the ball three times because it was wet.

Even taking three wickets in five overs as they did in the first match almost didn’t help, as South Africa came up 17 runs short of a target of 350 in Ranchi.

So the toss in Vizag will be crucial, and India, with a red-hot Virat Kohli chasing a hat-trick of hundreds, will be sweating on the coin flip.

Matthew Breetzke, another player in form — albeit for a slightly more extended period than Kohli — agreed that the Proteas have benefitted from batting second, though they’ve chased substantial totals in both ODIs.

Though not quite at Kohli’s level, Breetzke’s two half-centuries in this series have both been critical in South Africa’s run chases and extended a remarkable start to the 27-year-old’s ODI career.

Wednesday night’s 68 was the seventh time he’d passed 50 in 11 innings, with one of those turned into a hundred on debut against New Zealand.

That innings came as an opener, but he’s shown his versatility by shifting down to No 4 and adjusting his batting to the demands of the situation the team has found itself in.

“In the first game I had to build the innings because we were in trouble, and in the second game, it was about managing the guys coming in, [such as Dewald] Brevis, and letting them bat around me,” said Breetzke.

“I’m getting more experienced batting at No 4; I’m getting more comfortable, and the more I play there, hopefully the better I get.”

There is no better example for Breetzke to follow than the legend in the opposition camp.

It’s been reported in India that ticket sales for the third ODI were sluggish until Kohli smashed his 52nd ODI century in Ranchi. Vizag sold out in minutes, with Kohli giving more reason for excitement with another hundred in the second match.

Though Kohli is the dominant individual in the series, the South Africans, as they showed in the Tests, are a resourceful team and have leant on their depth, particularly with the bat, to frustrate the home side.

“We have a nice balance in our side; we have powerhouses such as Brevis, [Marco] Jansen and [Corbin] Bosch; they complement each other well, and there’s a lot of confidence among the batting unit,” said Breetzke.

“As a top four, it gives you confidence because you know you have that explosive power at the back end. It’s about us setting the platform for them to come in and do their thing.”

A win on Saturday would make Temba Bavuma’s team only the second South African side — after AB de Villiers’ 2015 teams — to win an ODI series in India.

The Proteas will also be the first team since Imran Khan’s Pakistan in 1987 to win both a Test and an ODI series in that cricket-mad nation on the same tour.