IND vs SA 2025-26, 3rd ODI: Kuldeep, Prasidh share 8 wickets, top 3 batters shine; India win 2-1

IND vs SA 2025-26, 3rd ODI: Kuldeep and Prasidh share eight wickets as India clinch the series 2-1 with top-order brilliance.

Brief Scores: IND 271/1 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 116*, Rohit Sharma 75, Keshav Mahraj 1/44) beat SA 270 (Quinton de Kock 106, Kuldeep Yadav 4/41, Prasidh Krishna 4/66) by 9-wickets and win the series by 2-1.

Player of the match: Yashasvi Jaiswal (116* runs)- “I really enjoyed and I’m really grateful and blessed. We have been chatting a lot about we can play, set the tempo.  I have to control my thoughts on what shots I can play. If it requires, I need to go after the bowlers.”

Player of the series: Virat Kohli (302 runs in three innings)- “Honestly, playing the way I have in the series is the most satisfying thing for me. I feel really free in my mind. I haven’t played like this in 2-3 years.  It’s a whole journey of getting better and getting better as a person along the way.”

Despite superb centuries from Team India’s Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, South Africa’s commanding batting leveled the series in the second game. The action moved to the third fixture of the three-match ODI series between the two sides at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.

KL Rahul used his left hand to toss the coin, and India finally won their first toss in 21 ODIs, since the 2023 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai. It was no surprise that the Blue Brigade decided to field first, expecting the dew to come later in the evening.

India strengthened their batting with the introduction of Tilak Verma at the expense of Washington Sundar. Meanwhile, the Proteas were forced to bring Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman in place of injured Tony de Zorzi and Nandre Burger.

Read More: IND vs SA ODIs 2025-26: India lack strong engine room at the backend (no. 6-8) unlike SA

Talking point: Middle-over exploits from Prasidh Krishna & Kuldeep Yadav
After 21 overs, the Proteas were placed comfortably at 114/2, which included the dismissal of key man Temba Bavuma. But Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav used their variations brilliantly to create pressure on the visiting batters. Krishna’s tall release reversed the ball while Kuldeep’s spin variations never let the batters release the pressure. The Proteas lost five wickets for 121 runs in the middle overs, thereby derailing after a steady start.

South Africa bundled out for 270 despite Quinton de Kock’s 106
South Africa didn’t make a great start, losing Rickelton on the fifth ball of the innings. After a single on the very first ball, the Proteas faced 17 successive dot deliveries. But Bavuma and Quinton de Kock rescued the innings with a 113-run second-wicket partnership. The latter hit the bowlers all around the park and notched up his 23rd ODI century.

On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja brought India back in the contest with Bavuma’s wicket. Prasidh Krishna, who leaked 27 runs without any success in his first two overs, picked up two wickets in four deliveries of his second spell. However, his biggest wicket of the game was de Kock, who missed a full delivery to see his stumps fly on 106.

Kuldeep Yadav returned to send back Dewald Brevis and Marco Jansen in the same over to break the Proteas’ back. They lost their last eight wickets for 102 runs and got bundled out for 270. Krishna and Kuldeep collected four wickets each for the hosts.

Read More: IND vs SA 2025-26, 2nd ODI: Kohli, Gaikwad tons go in vains; SA go level 1-1

India’s powerful top three seal 9-wicket victory, win series 2-1
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma laid a strong platform of 155 runs for the opening partnership. The former was attentive at the start against the left-arm pace of Jansen before unleashing his beast mode in the middle overs. The southpaw celebrated his maiden ODI half-century in 75 balls. Rohit also notched up his 61st fifty in the format.

Keshav Maharaj broke the stand, dismissing Rohit on 75 runs in 73 balls, shouldering seven boundaries and three sixes. Meanwhile, Jaiswal converted his fifty to his maiden ODI century with a single on the leg side.

Virat Kohli, the third continued his rich form with another 50+ score as he remained unbeaten on 65 runs in 45 balls. He put up an undefeated stand of 116 runs for the second wicket with Jaiswal to complete the chase by nine wickets and more than 10 overs to spare.

Statistical highlights from IND vs SA, 3rd ODI, 2025

• Quinton de Kock (1085) overtakes AB de Villiers (1038) to be South Africa’s leading ODI run-getter in India.
• Temba Bavuma crosses 2000 runs in ODIs.
• Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock record South Africa’s second-highest second-wicket ODI partnership (113) against India in India. De Kock and Faf du Plessis’ 154-run stand in 2015 leads the chart.
• Quinton de Kock equals Kumar Sangakkara to record the joint-most ODI centuries (23) as designated wicket-keeper. De Kock gets to the milestone in 160 innings.
• Quinton de Kock equals Sanath Jayasuriya to register the joint-most ODI centuries (7) against India. De Kock achieved the landmark in 23 innings.
• Kuldeep Yadav (23) overtakes Harshit Rana (20) to become India’s leading ODI wicket-taker since January 2024.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal got his first fifty-plus score in ODIs and 13th in List A cricket.
• Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal record India’s highest ODI opening partnership (155) against South Africa at home.
• Rohit Sharma (489) overtakes Rahul Dravid (440) to become India’s third leading ODI run-getter against South Africa at home. Sachin Tendulkar leads the chart with 994 runs in 22 innings.
• Virat Kohli has scored 652 runs in ODIs at the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. This is his highest tally at a home venue in this format.
• India won their ninth bilateral ODI series against South Africa.

What’s to come
With the end of the ODI series, the focus moves to the five-match T20I series. It will be a great preparation for both sides ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The opening T20I of the five-match series begins on December 09 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

Read More: Ruturaj Gaikwad proved in Raipur that his game is perfect for ODIs