5 Talking Points from India South Africa 2nd ODI: A Kohli-Rahane misunderstanding, a wrong decision which gave India victory

India have won the 2nd ODI of the 5-match series against South Africa by 22 runs, on the back of a true captain’s knock from MS Dhoni and a superlative team effort on the field by the hosts.After seeming to be in control in both the innings, South Africa lost the plot midway both with the bat and ball in hand.The 5 game-changing moments and factors which decided the course of the game, and which have attracted the most opinions on the social media:

#1 Kohli-Rahane misunderstanding puts India innings in disarray

The Kohli run out dented India’s fortunes considerably, but whose fault was it?

Despite losing their openers early, Ajinkya Rahane and Virat Kohli were looking in control of the situation with the score at 82/2 in the 18th over. Kohli, batting on 12, was looking especially to play a long innings to check his disappointing run of form in ODIs this year.

However, a moment of misunderstanding between Rahane and Kohli led to a few angry stares exchanged, Kohli’s hopes being dashed and India being in a spot of bother early on in the innings.

Rahane took a single after hitting the ball towards mid-off, and did not respond to Kohli’s calls for a second.

Kohli was the man who would have been running towards the danger end, and was looking for a double from the very beginning. Rahane ran the first one slow, was not looking at his partner while running, and did not even get out of his crease for the second run. Kohli was already too far into his stride in the middle of the pitch when he realised Rahane was not responding, and he was run out at the other end.

Indian fans have, as expected, been polarised in their verdict as to who was to blame for this crucial run-out, but perhaps poor communication was the only villain here.

#2 The great Dhoni comeback

MS Dhoni came up with a matchwinning knock after his batsmen let the team down early on

What was so very special about MS Dhoni’s knock of 92* in the Indore ODI was that it was an innings that came against all the odds. When he was hitting those sixes, it was not only the South African bowlers he was thwarting, who had run all over the India batsmen in the first 30 overs, but also the plethora of his detractors and critics who had been sharpening their knives after his failure to get India over the line in the 1st ODI.

Dhoni settled into his task after entering in the 19th over, keeping his head down for a patient innings-building knock. The 40-over mark called for a change of bat, and a change of attitude. As Harbhajan Singh gave him able company, Dhoni launched a scathing counter-attack on the South African bowlers, picking out Duminy and Tahir for special treatment.

He batted with the tail for the whole of the second half of the innings, advising and encouraging his partners, even offering a smile as a wild Umesh Yadav slash of the bat went for a lucky four.

He failed to connect with any of the balls of the 50th over, thus falling short of his individual century, but hit a flat six off the last ball of the innings – to set nostalgic Indian fans raving about the exploits of India’s greatest finisher.

#3 Axar Patel\'s golden arm

Axar Patel’s breakthroughs got India into the match in the second innings

Axar Patel registered career best figures of 3/39, picking up the wicket of Hashim Amla, and accounting for both JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis, as their steady partnership threatened to take the game away from India’s grasp.

Axar extricated a lot of turn from the pitch, and turned the game on its head by turning the score from 134/2 to 141/4 with his second spell. The batsmen who followed Du Plessis and Duminy never got into their stride, and the required rate crept up on them.

The 21-year-old had received a lot of negative attention before this match, but was largely responsible for converting what should have been an easy chase into a challenge.

#4 Kohli\'s catches

Virat Kohli being applauded for his work in the field by the rest of the team

If Axar Patel’s golden arm was responsible for breaking the Du Plessis-Duminy partnership, India have to thank Virat Kohli’s agility and safe hands to complete the turnaround in the match. With the match decisively tilted in South Africa’s favour, Kohli jumped high and plucked a catch out of thin air to end the dangerous Du Plessis’ innings. And quite from nothing, India were suddenly back into the game.

A little while later, as AB de Villiers looked to finish the task off for the visitors, it was Kohli again, standing at silly mid-off, leaping to his left to take a stunning diving catch. And suddenly, AB de Villiers was back in the hut, and India had the upper hand.

Kohli might have been robbed off a batting masterclass by the run out, but came up with a fielding masterclass in the second innings – putting pressure on the batsmen by standing very close to the pitch and keeping them on their toes for the quick singles – a vital effort considering the low target.

#5 Behardien\'s unlucky call, umpire Vineet Kulkarni under scanner again

Indian players appeal for Farhan Behardien’s wicket

With about 50 runs to get and 3 wickets in hand in the last 10 overs, Behardien was South Africa’s burning hope in overhauling the target. In the latest twist in the horrible spate of decisions which have dogged umpire Vineet Kulkarni’s series, he gave in to Harbhajan’s frenzied appeals, and raised his finger instead of signalling a wide.

As Harbhajan Singh bowled a leg side wide, and the ball missed everything on its way to Dhoni, the Indian team went up in appeal. Umpire Kulkarni, against whom India have expressed grievances for his officiating in the other matches of the series, gave Behardien out caught behind.

Behardien stood his ground for a short while, desperately disappointed at being denied the chance to turn hero for his team once again in the series. The South African tail was exposed with a lot of work still to be done.

The scores, it can be assumed, have been settled. Vineet Kulkarni can now get some rest from his own countrymen who have been calling for his head, and the ODI series has three more matches to be played with everything to win.

rahane didn't want to go back to the pavilion- he knows virat is there #IndvsSA

— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) October 14, 2015

Dhoni's innings takes on even greater magnitude with India winning. One of his very, very best. #IndvSA

— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 14, 2015

Behardien's dismissal shows exactly why teams should boycott India until they bring in DRS. It was a disgraceful decision.

— Chris Murtagh (@Murtiniiii) October 14, 2015