India sealed a commanding 9-wicket victory over South Africa in the third and final ODI on Saturday in Visakhapatnam, securing the series 2–1. India delivered a clinical all-round performance, crowned by a maiden ODI century from young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who led the chase with remarkable intensity.
Chasing a target of 271, India got off to a flying start as Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma stitched together a much-needed opening partnership. Rohit looked in excellent touch, scoring a magnificent 75 that kept India comfortably on top.
Jaiswal, however, was the standout performer, bringing up his maiden ODI hundred and remaining unbeaten on 116, guiding India to victory in just 39.5 overs. Virat Kohli, meanwhile, continued his splendid form in the series. After smashing back-to-back centuries in the first two ODIs, Kohli added an unbeaten 65 off 45.
Earlier, South Africa, who were asked to bat, were bowled out for 270. The backbone of their innings was Quinton de Kock, who played a brilliant knock of 106. Skipper Temba Bavuma also played a handy 48-run knock, but a lack of substantial partnerships ruined South Africa's chance of posting a big total. For India, Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets each to prevent the Proteas from putting out a massive target.