THE CLASH OF TITANS

 

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

Venue – M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai [October 22, 2015].

In the autumn of 2015, the South African cricket team toured India to play 3 T20 Internationals, 5 ODIs and 4 Test Matches. The Proteas won the T20 Series 2-0 and were leading the ODI Series 2-1 at the end of the third one-day match. As a result, the fourth ODI was a must-win game for the hosts to stay alive in the series. Indian Captain MS Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like a hot day in Chennai.

However, the Proteas got off to a great start as they dismissed both the openers cheaply. The Indian scorecard read 35/2 when Rahane joined Kohli in the centre. It was necessary that the duo stitch a big partnership so that the Hosts can make a comeback. But this was not going to be easy. After all, the visitors were bowling with accurate line and length. 

Interestingly, the momentum of a one-day game can change quickly. A couple of wickets brings the bowling side in the game, whereas a couple of big partnerships can tilt the game to the other side as well. And this is exactly what happened that day. Firstly, Virat Kohli shared a 104-run partnership with Rahane, who scored a solid 45. Post his dismissal, Kohli shared a 127-run partnership with Raina, who scored a quickfire 53 and helped India reach a competitive total.

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

However, the man who stole the show was none other than Virat Kohli. In this high-pressure game he scored a magnificent 138 off 140 deliveries. His innings comprised 6 boundaries and 5 massive sixes, something which we don't often see in a Virat Kohli innings. But the most interesting part is that Kohli scored 84 of his runs by running between the wickets. Mind you, the weather was tough, and Kohli was battling pain. Despite the adverse circumstances, Kohli played one of the most scintillating knocks of his ODI career. It was only because of his 138 that we managed to give Proteas a competitive target of 300 runs in 50 overs.

Image Credit- ESPN CricInfo.

In response, the Proteas got off to a decent start but continued losing wickets at regular intervals. However, Captain AB de Villiers stood strong from his end and scored a brilliant 112 off 107 deliveries and kept the hopes of his team alive. Till the time he was on the crease, it appeared that the visitors could pull off the chase. However, once AB was dismissed, the hopes of a South African run-chase collapsed, and the Indians ended up winning the game by 35 runs.

The series was 2-2 now, and we were all set for a blockbuster in Mumbai.

However, this game will be remembered by the cricket fans for a very long time. After all, we witnessed two of the greatest batsmen of our generation going hammer and tongs.

To watch the innings of Virat Kohli, Click Here.

To watch the innings of AB de Villiers, Click Here.

To Know about what happened in the Mumbai ODI, Click Here.