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India performed like never before on their tour to South Africa in 2018. After losing the Test series by 1-2, India went on to dominate the Proteas at their home ground in ODIs and T20Is. The Men in Blue scripted history after winning their first-ever bilateral series in South Africa after they went on to win the fifth ODI of a six-match series in Port Elizabeth on February 13, 2018.
Virat Kohli-led Indian side won the first three ODIs of the series and assured that they couldn’t lose the series from there. However, the Proteas made a comeback in the fourth ODI with a thrilling five-wicket win. Now, India needed just one win to win their first-ever ODI series in South Africa with two games remaining. After that, Rohit Sharma came up with a hundred and India registered historic series win.
Rohit Sharma scored match-winning 100 as India clinched ODI series vs South Africa
Batting first, India posted a total of 274 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their 50 overs. Opening batter Rohit Sharma, who wasn’t looking in great form in that series, finally got his rhythm back in the fifth ODI and went on to score 115(126) runs hitting 11 fours and four sixes. Apart from that, skipper Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, and Shreyas Iyer also contributed with crucial 30s as India crossed the 270-run mark.
In reply, Hashim Amla came out as a lone warrior for South Africa as the hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals. At last, the Proteas were bowled out for 201 runs in 42.2 overs, losing the game by 73 runs. India registered a historic series win and also went on to win the sixth ODI to complete the series with a dominant scoreline of 5-1 against South Africa at their home ground. After that, the Men in Blue also won the ODI series by 2-1 to end their South Africa tour on a high note.
