India vs South Africa Live Cricket Score, 3rd ODI: Rohit Sharma out, Virat Kohli joins Jaiswal in chase

Milestone alert for Rohit Sharma: his latest fifty-plus score is No. 94 in ODIs — pushing him past Inzamam-ul-Haq and drawing level with Sourav Ganguly at 9th on the all-time list. One more, and he’ll match Rahul Dravid’s tally of 95. IND 102/0 (20)

Ottneil Baartman steams in for the 13th over and suddenly Yashasvi Jaiswal is made to work for every inch. Three times the pacer zips past the outside edge, drawing oohs from the fielders. The only run Jaiswal manages comes via a thick inside edge that nearly clips the stumps on its way to safety.

The ball is still misbehaving just enough to remind the batters they are not cruising yet. Jaiswal’s 24 from 48 deliveries. The tension is beginning to simmer. IND 60/0 (13)

Every now and then, Rohit and Jaiswal hit a brilliant shot. That’s the crowd at Vizag is there for! Rohit hammers Ngidi’s delivery over deep midwicket for sixer into the stands. He pulls that one with authority. Indian fans go wild! IND 39/0 (8)

It needs some confidence to hit Ngidi on his first delivery. Jaiswal gets into the position and hits it over the bowlers head for a sixer. Awesome, Jaiswal! Overall, a good over from the South African pacer. The team is also super active on the field. IND 29/0 (6)

India doesn’t need to hit hard or go aggressively into the chase. The required rate is in the 5s. Rohit and Jaiswal are taking it easy and hitting some stunning boundaries. Jaiswal hits for a lovely boundary pas point. IND 21/0 (5)

A wild one from Marco Jansen skids way down leg. Five wides gifted to India. Jaiswal won’t mind the bonus runs but with a modest target in sight, he’ll want to settle in now and make this chase count. Rohit will also look to finish big in this series-decider. Proteas need early wickets to remain in the game. SA 8/0 (1)

Clean bowled! Prasidh Krishna fires in another rapid, straight delivery that crashes into Maharaj’s stumps. That’s wicket No. 4 for him, sealing a superb turnaround from India. They struck early, survived the Proteas’ counterpunch and then stormed back to choke the innings at both ends.

Quinton de Kock’s sparkling 106 gave South Africa hope but India’s late strike spree has dragged the total back into very chaseable territory. India will chase 271 at Vizag shortly.

Kuldeep Yadav signs off his spell with pure hunting mode activated.

He’s been serving up a delicious mix of generous flight, teasing wrong’uns, classic legbreaks and luring the tailenders into mistakes. Two balls earlier, he zipped past the outside edge. Next, he sneaked past the inside edge.

And finally, he nails his target.

Lungi Ngidi is pinned dead in front, no escape, no review saving that. Kuldeep wheels away with his fourth. This is the ninth time in ODIs that he has taken four wickets. SA 259/9 (46)

Kuldeep continues and the squeeze tightens.

He tosses one wider, Bosch slaps it out to sweeper for a single. But just as South Africa think they can breathe, Kuldeep strikes again.

A deceptive, 85 kph delivery lands on a teasing length outside off. It grips, climbs a touch. Bosch, stuck deep in his crease, goes through his shot too early. The ball hits high on the bat and lobs gently back to the bowler.

Kuldeep barely has to move. Thank you very much. Another one gone. South Africa sinking fast.

This comes right after his double strike in the previous over and now Kuldeep storms ahead with eight wickets in the series, completely owning this middle-overs battle.

This innings isn’t just wobbling anymore…it’s in full freefall. SA 252/8 (43)

Prasidh Krishna’s turnaround has been remarkable. His second spell now reads 3.5-0-11-3 and that third wicket is a massive one. Quinton de Kock, cruising on a brilliant century, gets a little too ambitious. He swings across the line at a long half-volley, a stroke he usually nails with ease, but this time he loses shape and his stumps are rattled.

A superb innings ends at 106 off 89, the backbone of South Africa’s 199 for 5 in 32.5 overs.

From being smashed for 27 runs in his first two overs to triggering a collapse with three key strikes, Krishna has flipped the script. South Africa suddenly face a steep climb to put up a threatening total and India have seized back control of the match. SA 218/5 (35)

“Skiddy” lives up to his nickname. Prasidh Krishna storms back into the contest with a zippy in-seamer that hurries Matthew Breetzke and traps him plumb in front. And Krishna’s not finished. Next up is Aiden Markram, the centurion from the previous match, now pushed down to No. 5. Prasidh hits that same awkward length. And the ball grips just enough to force a mistimed push. Razor-sharp Virat Kohli at short cover snares a sharp catch with fast hands and faster reactions.

Two wickets in one over. Krishna’s figures suddenly look match-shifting: 4-0-32-2. SA 170/4 (29)

Breetzke starts Tilak Verma’s over with two back-to-back bangers. Big sixes on the first two deliveries. That was brutal for India and the Proteas are happy with this attack. SA 158/2 (26)

Quinton de Kock looks in super form today and that’s a danger sign. Currently playing at 82, none of the Indian bowlers have been able to find an answer to QDK. Jadeja bowls this one. The inning is half-way now and another partnership seems to be building between de Kock and Breetzke. SA 143/2 (25)

Tilak Varma is given just a single over. It was more a tactical move than a test. It allowed India to rotate ends for Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. From the fresh end, Jadeja settles into a tight rhythm, locking Temba Bavuma down with four dot balls. Under pressure, Bavuma goes for the reverse sweep and nails it. Finding the boundary to finally relieve some tension. In the next over, Kuldeep gives 4 runs. 104/1 (20)

Right after the first drinks break, India turn to Tilak Varma. A clear sign that Prasidh Krishna’s early hammering has pushed them to a part-time option sooner than planned. Quinton de Kock greets Varma with a full toss slapped away to the boundary but the young spinner regroups well, giving away just six in the over. SA 92/1 (17)

Here’s the list –

40 innings — Hashim Amla

45 innings — Rassie van der Dussen

50 innings — Gary Kirsten

53 innings — Quinton de Kock

53 innings — Temba Bavuma

Ever since Prasidh Krishna entered the attack, South Africa have shifted gears. Quinton de Kock has treated him badly. Three towering sixes in just two overs and the runs have begun to flow freely. It’s as if the early tackiness in the pitch has evaporated. Buvama hits Jadeja for a boundary in the next over. The partnership between the two has picked up. SA 65/1 (12)

Final over of the first powerplay. Rana comes in for this one. Two runs on the first ball and that is 2000 runs for Bavuma in the ODIs. And Bavuma hits to release some pressure. Good boundary over square leg. SA 42/1 (10)

Prasidh bowls this one. He will try to maintain the check on the SA batters. However, after a long dull, Quinton de Kock goes for a big one over the ropes, into the stands. SA 34/1 (9)

After being taken for a couple of edged boundaries in his previous over, Harshit Rana hit back strongly with a maiden to Temba Bavuma. Rana is tightening things up for India. The surface is gripping early on, making stroke play uncomfortable. Once evening sets in, temperatures dip, dew slicks up the outfield and this same pitch that’s holding up now will likely turn into a batting-friendly skid pad. SA 25/1 (8)

Arshdeep starts with a good length delivery. Skipper Bavuma on the other side. And Bavuma launches the second ball to the boundary. He goes inside-out over the covers for a one-bounce boundary. Total 5 runs come in the over. SA 18/1 (5)

Rana comes in for the next. Second run of the innings comes after 17 deliveries. An outside edge goes over slip fielders and no one reacts! Well, goes for a boundary. First of the game so far. Another edge on the next ball and that will go for a boundary again. Finally some runs for the Proteas. Both by de Kock, by the way. SA 13/1 (4)

The second over by Harshit Rana. The pacer keep the batters in check. One hard length hits QDK in the bicep. No runs come on this over. Arshdeep comes in for the next over and he sustains the check. Two back-to-back maiden overs from the pacers. SA 1/1 (3)

The first over starts and Arshdeep takes charge. Ryan Rickelton partners with Quinton de Kock at the top. This pairing might eventually boil down to a fight for one long-term slot.

But Rickelton’s stay is short. Arshdeep Singh in the early movement on offer, lands the perfect length. Full enough to threaten, not full enough to drive. Rickelton fishes away from his body and the ball edges before KL Rahul completes a tidy catch behind the stumps. It’s almost a carbon copy of his dismissal in the first ODI. SA 1/1 (1)

KL Rahul switched things up, quite literally, flipping the coin with his left hand. And just like that, India finally snapped their unbelievable streak of 20 consecutive toss losses. This was their first toss win since the 2023 World Cup semifinal in Mumbai and Rahul opted to bowl in the series decider. He noted that dew in Vizag tends to arrive later than it did in Ranchi or Raipur, making the call slightly less straightforward.

India opted for extra batting muscle, bringing in Tilak Varma in place of Washington Sundar, who had bowled only seven overs across the first two ODIs. That decision leaves India without a sixth bowling option.

South Africa, chasing a rare feat of winning both the Test and ODI series on a single India tour, were hit by late setbacks. Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi were ruled out with hamstring injuries picked up in the second ODI. Their replacements are Ryan Rickelton and Ottneil Baartman.

Momentum, injuries, and a long-awaited toss going India’s way — the stage was set for a gripping finale. Game begins now!

Both the teams have declared their playing XIs. Check below-

India: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 5 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 6 Tilak Varma, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Prasidh Krishna

South Africa: 1 Ryan Rickelton, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Temba Bavuma (capt.), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Aiden Markram, 6 Dewald Brevis, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Ottneil Baartman

India captain KL Rahul flipped the coin, and South Africa’s Temba Bavuma called heads — but it landed tail. After losing 20 tosses in a row, India finally won one. As expected, the team chose to bowl first in Vizag.

India’s squad is a mix of experienced performers and young rising talent. Names like Rohit Sharma, Kohli, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav and Jadeja headline the roster, while Tilak Varma, Harshit Rana and Nitish Kumar Reddy offer fresh options. The team management will aim for the perfect balance today.

All eyes once again will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Kohli comes into this game in incredible form and will be aiming for his third consecutive century of the series. India will hope their seasoned duo can provide stability and quick runs in a match where every moment matters.

Former India cricketer Abhishek Nayar has credited Rohit Sharma for reshaping India’s white-ball cricket temperament. Speaking ahead of the third ODI between India and South Africa, Nayar highlighted how Rohit’s approach influenced the team’s aggressive template, shifting the focus from safe accumulation to high-impact stroke play.