Raipur, December 3, 2025 – South Africa pulled off a stunning, record-equaling chase of 359 runs against India in the 2nd One-Day International at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur, to level the three-match series at 1-1. The visitors successfully hunted down the mammoth target with four balls to spare, turning the final ODI into a decider.
An exceptional century from opener Aiden Markram (110 off 98 balls), combined with blistering half-centuries from youngsters Matthew Breetzke (68 off 64) and Dewald Brevis (54 off 34), anchored the Proteas’ incredible run-chase, which was made easier by heavy dew in the evening.
India’s Innings: Tons from Kohli and Gaikwad
Earlier in the day, after being put in to bat, India’s innings was powered by a magnificent 195-run partnership for the third wicket between Virat Kohli (102 off 93 balls) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (105 off 83 balls), who smashed his maiden ODI hundred.
Despite losing the openers early, the centurions put India back on track. A late, unbeaten blitz of 66 runs off 43 balls from stand-in skipper KL Rahul propelled the total to a commanding 358 for 5. South African pacer Marco Jansen was the pick of the bowlers with 2/63.
South Africa’s Historic Pursuit
Chasing 359, the South African batters showed remarkable intent and resilience. Following the early loss of Quinton de Kock, Markram and skipper Temba Bavuma (46) laid a solid foundation with a century stand. Markram, who survived an early review scare, capitalized fully on the conditions, scoring his 4th ODI century and becoming the first visiting opener in a decade to hit an ODI ton against India in India.
The momentum was maintained even after Markram and Bavuma departed, thanks to the aggressive strokeplay of Matthew Breetzke and the explosive hitting of Dewald Brevis, whose 34-ball 54 severely hampered India’s control.
Despite late wickets, the batters managed to keep the required rate in check, ultimately clinching the joint-highest successful chase by a visiting team in an ODI in India (equaling Australia’s 359-run chase in Mohali, 2019). The Indian bowlers, particularly pacers Harshit Rana (1/70) and Prasidh Krishna (2/82), struggled to contain the flow of runs, with the dew factor making gripping the ball extremely difficult.
The series is now perfectly poised, setting up a tantalizing final encounter.
Brief Scores:
India: 358/5 in 50 overs (R. Gaikwad 105, V. Kohli 102, KL Rahul 66*; M. Jansen 2/63)
South Africa: 359/6 in 49.2 overs (A. Markram 110, M. Breetzke 68, D. Brevis 54; A. Singh 2/54)
Result: South Africa won by 4 wickets.
Player of the Match:
Aiden Markram.
