India defeated South Africa 2-1 in the three-match ODI series on Saturday. The KL Rahul-led side delivered a strong performance even without regular captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. Virat Kohli finished as the Player of the Series with 302 runs across three innings.
He hit two consecutive centuries and stayed unbeaten on 65 in the series-deciding match. Spinner Kuldeep Yadav led the bowling attack with nine wickets.
India used consistent batting and disciplined bowling to control all three matches and secure a confident series win against a competitive South African team.
🗣️🗣️ In a series where the bat dominated, he showed his class with the ball 👌
Presenting the 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 – 𝙆𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙔𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙫 🏅
🔽 Watch | #TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @imkuldeep18 | @IDFCFIRSTBank https://t.co/UiT35NFZsN
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 7, 2025
Kuldeep Yadav Wins Medal as Kohli Jokes “Ro De, Ro De” in Dressing Room
Kuldeep Yadav received the ‘Impact Player of the Series’ medal from India’s bowling coach Ryan ten Doeschate, who praised him for his match-changing spells.
When Kuldeep stepped forward for a speech, he struggled to find words, prompting laughter from his teammates. Virat Kohli jokingly said, “Ro de, ro de,” adding to the light-hearted moment. Kuldeep congratulated Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal for their strong batting displays.
Jaiswal, who opened in place of Gill, had modest scores in the first two matches but produced a brilliant century in the final ODI, marking his first hundred in the format.
Jaiswal, Kohli and Rohit Lead India’s Dominant Run-Chase in Visakhapatnam
Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden ODI century, along with Virat Kohli’s 76th ODI fifty, guided India to a nine-wicket victory in the decisive match in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma added to the strong start with a well-timed 75, helping India chase the target with ease.
Earlier, India bowled South Africa out for 270, with Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Yadav taking four wickets each. Prasidh recovered from an expensive opening spell and dismissed key middle-order batters, rewarding the trust of captain KL Rahul and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
For South Africa, Quinton de Kock scored a fighting 106 but lacked support.
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Swastika Sruti is a Senior Sub Editor at NewsX Digital with 5 years of experience shaping stories that matter. She loves tracking politics- national and global trends, and never misses a chance to dig deeper into policies and developments. Passionate about what’s happening around us, she brings sharp insight and clarity to every piece she works on. When not curating news, she’s busy exploring what’s next in the world of public interest. You can reach her at [swastika.newsx@gmail.com]
