IND vs SA 2025: India vs South Africa Highlights & Result – 3rd ODI

Who won India vs South Africa 3rd ODI today? — Match result & turning points

After two intriguing matches, the decisive third ODI between India and South Africa turned out to be a one-sided affair at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Saturday, December 6.

India finally managed to win a toss ahead of an ODI game after two years. KL Rahul had no hesitation in opting to bowl first. Arshdeep Singh struck in the first over, as he dismissed Ryan Rickelton. However, Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma stitched a 113-run stand off 121 balls to get South Africa to a solid platform.

Ravindra Jadeja dismissed Bavuma for 48. Quinton de Kock and Matthew Breetzke played aggressively and added 54 runs. The former got to his century in quick time, and the Proteas were looking set to post a formidable first-innings score.

However, Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav took wickets at regular intervals in the middle overs to bring India back into the game. The tourists slumped from 168/2 in the 29th over to 270 all out with 13 balls to spare.

Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma gave India an ideal start, adding 155 runs off as many balls. Rohit was dismissed by Keshav Maharaj in the 26th over, and the in-form Virat Kohli joined Yashasvi in the middle.

Kohli continued his purple patch, thrashing South African bowlers to all areas of the park. Yashasvi, who couldn't score big in the first two games, registered his maiden ODI ton.

India romped home in 39.5 overs, with nine wickets to spare. Yashasvi remained unbeaten on 116 off 121 balls. Meanwhile, Kohli scored 65 not out off just 45 deliveries.

Top batting performances of the match — Yashasvi Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal came into the series with high hopes, looking to make a mark in ODI cricket. However, he registered dismal scores of 18 and 22 in the first two matches. In the third ODI, however, he showcased his talent, slamming his maiden ton in 50-over cricket for the Men in Blue. Yashasvi hit 12 fours and two sixes during his unbeaten knock of 116 off 121 balls.

Best bowling spells — Kuldeep Yadav

Both Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav bagged four-fors in the third ODI. However, it was the latter who impressed the most. He finished with figures of 4/41 in 10 overs and also bowled a maiden. The lower-order batters had caused a lot of trouble for the Indian bowlers in the last two games. However, Kuldeep didn't allow them to get settled in the third ODI.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• Rohit Sharma became the fourth Indian player to surpass 20,000 runs across the three formats of international cricket.
• Yashasvi Jaiswal became only the sixth Indian batter to register centuries in all three formats for the national team.
• This was India's 10th 100-plus opening partnership against South Africa in ODIs, and the first since 127 between Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan in their Champions Trophy 2013 clash in Cardiff.
• Kuldeep became third on the list of most four-fors by Indian bowlers in ODIs.
• Quinton de Kock joined Sanath Jayasuriya on the list of batters with the most ODI centuries against India. Both of them have seven centuries against the Men in Blue. No other batter has as many.

Who was the Player of the Match?

While Kuldeep and Krishna produced brilliant performances with the ball, young Yashasvi bagged the Player of the Match award. His calm and composed knock made the chase look like a cakewalk. He hit 12 fours and two sixes and looked at ease against all the South African bowlers.

Who was the Player of the Series?

Kohli was adjudged Player of the Series. This was an easy pick, as the former India captain finished as the highest run-getter across the three games. He aggregated a whopping 302 runs at an average of 151 and a strike rate of 117.05.

What is the next match?

India and South Africa will now square off in a five-match T20I series. The first T20I is set to be held at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Tuesday, December 9.