5 Highlights of India - South Africa ODI Series

South Africa defeated India 3-2 in the five-match ODI series that concluded on SundayThe recently concluded Paytm ODI series between India and South Africa, arguably two of the best teams in the world when it comes to the 50-over format, not only provided plenty of thrill and entertainment but also offered some quality cricket resulting in a tightly contested series. The 5-match series was mostly dominated by the batsmen with all score barriers being broken. We also witnessed some gritting bowling performances and some close finishes.Here are the 5 major highlights from the series:

#1 MS Dhoni\'s Innings of 92* (2nd ODI)

Dhoni answered his critics with a match-winning knock at Indore

Dhoni has been at the mercy of critics for long now and this got further extended when he failed to seal a victory for his team in the last over of the 1st ODI at Kanpur. Acclaimed to be a fiery match finisher, Dhoni was criticized for losing the Midas touch and all fingers were raised at him.

However, he silenced his critics in the 2nd ODI. India had lost 4 wickets for 102 when he came out to bat and were struggling at 165 for 7 in the 40th over. He batted with the tail and constructed the innings beautifully to take India to a respectable 247-9 which ultimately proved to be a match-winning one. This innings not only was an answer to the critics about his batting but also for his leadership qualities.

#2 Kagiso Rabada\'s final over (1st ODI)

Rabada held his nerve to bowl his side to victory in the series opener

After a dismal T20 series, expectations from the Indian team were high for the ODI series. The series began with a nail-biting opener. South Africa put up 303 on the board after batting first courtesy of the century from AB de Villiers and a steady half-century by Faf du Plessis.

The chase, led by Rohit Sharma who scored a marvellous 150, concluded with India needing 13 runs from the last over. With Dhoni at the crease, Indian fans were hopeful of a victory. But it was Kagiso Rabada who had the last laugh. Bowling the last over of the innings, he kept his cool and bowled a sensational last over picking up 2 crucial wickets, including that of Dhoni to seal a victory for his team by 5 runs.

#3 AB de Villiers Century (5th ODI)

De Villiers was in sensational form throughout the ODI series

AB de Villiers, the current no. 1 ODI batsman in the world, who was already having a memorable series, got into the groove in final and the 5th ODI at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. With the stage perfectly set up by De Kock and Du Plessis, he put up a breathtaking batting display by hitting 11 sixes, scoring runs in every corner of the ground.

His footwork was sublime and his hand-eye coordination, which has been his real strength, gave Indian bowlers a tough outing. He scored his third century (119) of the series which led the visitors to a massive total of 438 which proved too much for the hosts to chase.

#4 Dhoni\'s act of sportsmanship (5th ODI)

Dhoni attends to Du Plessis after the South African fell to the ground following cramps

The final ODI was a run feast with three South African batsman scoring centuries. Faf du Plessis, who was one of the centurions, struggled a bit more due to cramps caused by the hot and humid Mumbai weather. The cramps intensified as he reached his century. But there came a moment when he fell on the ground just after hitting a six to Axar Patel.

It was none other than the Indian captain, MS Dhoni who came to his rescue. He helped Du Plessis in reducing his pain and supported him in regaining his strength. Most of the captains would have lost their temper after such a batting performance from the opposite team. But Dhoni, as he is widely regarded for, kept his cool and calm and proved why cricket is still regarded as a gentlemen’s game.

#5 Faf du Plessis\' consistency

Du Plessis contributions were overshadowed by De Villiers three centuries

Though AB De Villiers was awarded the Man of the Series for his miraculous performance with the bat, one person whose contribution went unnoticed was Faf du Plessis. He played some outstanding cricket all throughout the series scoring 323 runs including 3 half centuries and 1 century with an average of 65.

His consistency with the bat allowed South Africa to put big totals on the board and his ability to score runs at a quick rate helped the lower order to settle in and play aggressive cricket.