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South Africa defeated India by massive 214 runs to clinch the one-day international series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Centuries by Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis and AB de Villiers helped the Proteas place a mountain target of 439 runs in front of India.
Indian bowlers were thrashed like never before especially Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who gave away 106 runs in his 10 overs quota. This also made Bhuvi the most expensive bowler in a match for India and 2nd in the overall list.
Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane looked solid at the start but couldn’t convert their into any big. Wickets fell one after the another and India were soon bowled out for 224 in 36 overs.
De Villiers was declared Man-of-the-Series for his three centuries with consistent performance. He enjoyed the game today and praised his teammates for making it an incredible series in the end.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, De Villiers said: "A very enjoyable performance today. I think we assessed the conditions nicely. The openers gave a nice foundation and gave us freedom to enjoy ourselves towards the end. Faf du Plessis played an incredible innings. It's a really good series win for us.
“He (Rabada) is an amazing bowler. He loves to learn and the potential he has shown is incredible. It's never easy touring India. It was a great series. It's always a great challenge when these two teams meet and I am very proud of the performance.
“I try to keep it as simple as possible (talking about his batting). I just try and watch the ball and enjoy as much as possible. It's an amazing experience to come here and hear all the support. It's a loud crowd here. A great day for South African cricket today. We haven't won a bilateral series here before and it's a proud moment."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni accepted the fact that nothing worked for team India and said: "I think the spinners fought hard throughout the series. We know that on this wicket, if it is on the flatter side, it is easy to hit sixes. Overall, nothing worked for us.
“There were occasions in the series where we should have done slightly better. But it was a decent series overall. This game was completely taken away from us. It happens in cricket. Otherwise a good performance from the team.”
Dhoni asked his men in blue to enjoy the upcoming Test series and added that Indian spinners will hold the key in the Tests.
“I want the boys to enjoy the Test series. One session can change the game. They all know how to enjoy Test cricket and we've got a good team. We've got the fast bowlers to exploit reverse swing, but I think the spinners will hold the key," Dhoni concluded.
Here’s how the cricketing fraternity reacted to India lose:
Rugby African Rugby team (Springboks), who lost yesterday in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals against New Zealand:
Former Indian cricketer - Vinod Kambli:
Shirin Sadikot (Journalist):
Yuvraj Singh:
Former Indian cricket women team captain - Anjum Chopra:
Cricketer turned commentator, Sanjay Mankrekar:
Aakash Chopra:
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