A destructive 161-run partnership between Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer helped India chase down 279 for a seven-wicket victory over the Proteas to level the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday.
Career-best scores of an unbeaten 113 off 111 balls from Iyer (15 fours) and 93 from Kishan helped India romp to victory with 25 balls remaining.
India captain Shikhar Dhawan (13) was dismissed by Wayne Parnell and Kagiso Rabada caught Shubnam Gill for 28 off his own bowling to have India at 48-2 after nine overs.
Kishan batted responsibly to go past 50 before Iyer did the same for the fifth time in his past six innings as the duo brought up their 100-run partnership and India moved to 154 for two in the 27th over.
Kishan, who was earlier dropped by Rabada off his own bowling, hit four boundaries and seven sixes on his way to 93 before picking out Reeza Hendricks, who took a sharp catch off the bowling of Bjorn Fortuin.
Iyer, on 98, saw Rabada overstep the mark, giving him a free hit which he dispatched to the boundary to bring up his second ODI century.
He also shared an unbeaten 70 with Sanju Samson (nine not out) to take his side home.
Parnell claimed 1-43 in eight overs while Fortuin finished with 1-52 in nine and Rabada 1-59 in 10.
Earlier, a run-a-ball 129-run partnership between Aiden Markram and Hendricks took SA to 278 for eight wickets, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.
Markram and Hendricks both scored above 70 to put SA on course for a huge score, having lost Quinton de Kock for just five runs, bowled by seamer Mohammed Siraj.
Opener Janneman Malan (25) and Hendricks took SA to 40 after 10 overs when Malan was trapped leg before wicket by slow left-arm orthodox spinner Shahbaz Ahmed, who reviewed the original not-out decision to hand him a wicket on his ODI debut.
Markram and Hendricks batted well and took SA past 150 as Hendricks brought up his fourth ODI fifty and Markram his fifth two overs later.
Hendricks was sharply caught by Shahbaz, hitting nine boundaries and a six for his 74, as Siraj picked up his second of the match.
Heinrich Klaasen shared 46 runs with Markram before he was caught by Siraj off Kuldeep Yadav for 30, and Markram reached 79, including seven fours and a six, but was dismissed two balls later to leave SA on 215-5.
With two new batters at the crease, the Indians put a stranglehold on SA’s free-scoring approach with David Miller ending unbeaten on 35, the visitors adding just 63 runs while losing two wickets in the final 11 overs.
Siraj finished with solid figures of 3-38 in his 10 overs, while fellow quick Shardul Thakur, as well as spinners Kuldeep Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed and Washington Sundar, claimed one wicket a piece.
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