SA vs IND, 2nd ODI: Tony de Zorzi's maiden ODI ton sweeps aside India; series level 1-1

South Africa vs India, 2nd ODI: Tony de Zorzi's 119, Sai Sudharsan's 62 and Nandre Burger's 3-30 are top performances. South Africa beat India by 8 wickets and level series by 1-1.

Tony de Zorzi scored 119 against India (Photo: ©ICC/Twitter)

Brief Scores - India -  211 (S. Sudharsan 62, KL Rahul 56, N. Burger 3/30) lost to South Africa 215/2 (T de Zorzi 119, R. Hendricks 52, A. Singh 1/28) by 8 wickets.

Player of the Match - Tony de Zorzi (119* off 122)

Coming from an impressive win over South Africa in the series' first game, India's batting order wrestled to bat in the second ODI at Gqeberha. Captain KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan’s supportive innings assisted the team to finish with a fightable score. Besides them, other batters failed to play noticeable knocks. South Africa's Nandre Burger kept the dominance of his pace over India as he clinched three wickets. 

South African batters dominated the second innings as their openers built a strong partnership. Tony de Zorzi played a remarkable unbeaten inning of 119 runs with the bat as he registered his maiden ODI century. He received the Player of the Match award for his exceptional contribution to the South Africa series, equalizing victory. The India bowlers looked completely wrecked and clueless against him. 

Talking Point: Poor batting display by Indian batters

India's batters performed poorly against South Africa in the second ODI. Sai Sudharsan and KL Rahul were the only batters who managed to control the situation. Besides these two batters, the complete India batting line-up failed to put on an impressive performance. On a pitch where South Africa lost only two wickets, India got bowled out for 211 runs in 46.2 overs. The batters couldn’t make an impact, so India fell much short on the scoreboard, leading India to face a big defeat.

Read More: SA vs IND, 1st ODI: Arshdeep-Avesh combined 9-64 decimates SA; India go 1-0 up

KL Rahul & Sai Sudharsan's promising fifties guided India to a fightable total 

South Africa skipper won the toss and opted to bowl first in the 2nd ODI. India had a sluggish start as South Africa pacer Nandre Burger struck on the second ball of the match, dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad. India got themselves in a sensitive position after losing an early wicket. However, Sai Sudharsan and Tilak Varma tried to stabilize India’s innings after that. Young batter Sudharsan slammed his second consecutive ODI fifty before getting dismissed by Lizaad Williams. Captain KL Rahul also played a supportive knock of 56 runs, leading the team to a fightable score 211. South Africa bowlers had a remarkable outing, with Nandre Burger emerging as their pick of the bowlers. 

In the second innings, South Africa batters Reeza Hendricks and Tony de Zorzi made a cautious start in the 212 chase. India bowlers failed to break the opening partnership between these two players for quite a long time as they went on to build a 130-run stand. Pacer Arshdeep Singh finally managed to get a breakthrough as he dismissed Reeza Hendricks. The India bowlers failed to perform as Arshdeep and Rinku were the only ones who took wickets. South Africa batter Tony de Zorzi scored a magnificent hundred, leading the team to triumph. 

Top 3 performances from South Africa vs India 2nd ODI, Gqeberha

Nandre Burger took 3-30 against India (Photo: ©ProteasMenCSA/Twitter)

Nandre Burger’s impressive spell 

Nandre Burger displayed an impressive bowling performance against India in the 2nd ODI. The South Africa pacer clinched three wickets, including the prized wicket of India’s skipper KL Rahul, to restrict India to a low score of 211. He was the most successful bowler for South Africa. The speedster finished with 3/30 in his ten-over spell. 

Tony de Zorzi’s Blitz

Tony de Zorzi played a dazzling knock of 119 runs, leading South Africa to an 8-wicket win. After his maiden ODI fifty, he stayed in the middle and recorded his first century as he guided Proteas to a series-leveling victory. Zorzi’s innings consisted of tremendous shots around the ground, making his knock more special. His superb performance included 6 sixes and 9 fours. 

Read More: SA vs IND, 3rd T20I: Surya ton, Kuldeep 5-17 give series-levelling win for India

Sudharsan scored 62 against South Africa (Photo: ©BCCI/Twitter)

Sai Sudharsan’s supportive knock

Sai Sudharsan played a superb knock of 63 runs against South Africa on a pitch where other Indian batters struggled to score big. The 22-year-old batter assisted India to a competitive total. With his second consecutive fifty, he became only the second India batter to score two fifties in the first two ODIs of his career. The youngster kept his nerves calm when India faced an early breakthrough and controlled the innings calmly. 

Statistical Highlights from South Africa vs India

• Ruturaj Gaikwad became the first victim in ODI cricket for Nandre Burger. 

• Nandre Burger registered his best bowling figure of 3/30 in ODI cricket.

• Sai Sudharsan became the second Indian batter to score two half-centuries in the first two ODIs.

• Reeza Hendricks and Tony de Zorzi’s 130-run partnership is the highest ODI opening stand for any team at St. George’s Park, Gqeberha. 

• South Africa batter Tony de Zorzi scored his first ODI century. 

What’s Next

India will play against South Africa in the 3rd match of the three-match ODI series at Boland Park, Paarl, in South Africa on 21 December 2023.

Read More: India tour of South Africa 2023-24: Quest for Historic Test Series Win in SA