Live cricket score, India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI, Cape Town: Kohli eyes ton, IND near 200

Follow live cricket score and live cricket updates of India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI in Cape Town here. South Africa have chosen to bowl against Virat Kohli’s side.

CRICKET Updated: Feb 07, 2018 18:51 IST

Sidharth Gulati 
Hindustan Times, New Delhi

Virat Kohli in action during third ODI between South Africa and India in Cape Town. Follow live cricket score and live cricket updates of India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI in Cape Town here.(BCCI )

Virat Kohli’s Indian cricket team is on a roll in the six-ODI series against South Africa after comprehensively winning the first two matches. South Africa have won the toss and have chosen to bowl in Newlands. Against the injury-troubled hosts, the Men in Blue would be favourites to go 3-0 up as they gear up for the third ODI in Cape Town. India can become world No. 1 in ODIs if they can win the series against Proteas by 4-2 margin. Follow live cricket score and live cricket updates of India vs South Africa, 3rd ODI in Cape Town here. (LIVE STREAMING INFO) (LIVE SCORECARD) (AUS v ENG SCORES)

18:47 hrs IST: Stand and deliver! Hardik Pandya stood his ground and slammed it for a six over long-off! India are 185/3.

18:42 hrs IST: Kagiso Rabada is brought back into action. The spinners were proving to be quite ineffective against Virat Kohli and although Rabada has not performed that well in the series, he remains a huge threat. India are 173/3.

18:36 hrs IST: A huge miss for South Africa! Hardik Pandya went for a quick single and JP Duminy was onto the ball in a flash. But, the Proteas all-rounder was unable to hit the stumps with Pandya well short of the crease! India are 164/3 after 29 overs.

18:31 hrs IST: WICKET! Duminy strikes again, gets rid of Ajinkya Rahane. Just the opening South Africa needed. Hardik Pandya comes to the crease. He has been criticised for his poor shot selection.

18:28 hrs IST: Meanwhile, India’s pace spearhead Jhulan Goswami created another record when she became the first woman cricketer to take 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODI). The 35-year-old achieved the feat when she took South Africa’s first wicket during the second ODI of the three-match series at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley. Read full report here

18:25 hrs IST: The Indian batsmen are playing the spinners quite comfortably and unless the hosts can come up with a Plan B quickly, it looks like Virat Kohli & Co are enroute to a massive total. India are 154/2 after 26 overs.

18:20 hrs IST: No team has dominated Imran Tahir the way India have done so far. Speaks a lot about their skill-set.

18:16 hrs IST: OUT! What a catch from Aiden Markram at short mid-wicket. Dhawan departs for 76. JP Duminy gets the breakthrough. Ajinkya Rahane is the next man in.

18:11 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell starred with the ball and then benefited from both a drop and a contentious umpiring decision to lead Australia’s successful run chase with a century in a five-wicket Twenty20 international victory over England.

18:08 hrs IST: Single and that’s fifty for Virat Kohli. What a player! Has had a great tour so far. The visitors’ run-rate has been on a constant rise. We could be in for some entertaining batting from here on.

18:04 hrs IST: BOUNDARY! Flighted delivery from Tahir, Dhawan dances down the track and hits it in the air over mid-wicket for one bounce four. Moves into 70s.

18:02 hrs IST: Ngidi is proving to be expensive here, 6-0-47-0. Hasn’t been able to find the correct length. India are 118/1 after 20 overs.

18:00 hrs IST: FOUR! Short and wide from Ngidi and Dhawan cuts it behind point for his 11th boundary.

17:57 hrs IST: Thirteen balls since the last boundary. India are 108/1 after 19 overs. Dhawan 61*, Kohli 42*. Ngidi comes into the attack.

17:52 hrs IST: Single and that’s 100 partnership between Dhawan and Kohli. Not much purchase for both seamers and spinners for now. Things could be different under lights.

17:48 hrs IST: FOUR! And that’s fifty for Dhawan, 25th in ODIs. What a knock it has been from the India opener. Can he convert this into a big score?

17:46 hrs IST: Imran Tahir comes into the attack. Aiden Markram will hope for a quick wicket or two from him.

17:42 hrs IST: FOUR! Short delivery from Morris, Dhawan gets into position early and pulls it to long leg boundary. India are 87/1 after 16 overs. Dhawan 47*, Kohli 37*. Time for drinks.

17:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Dhawan comes down the track, gets to the pitch of the ball and hits it over mid-wicket. As good as it gets! India are 79/1 after 15 overs. Morris to continue.

17:33 hrs IST: Single off the last ball for Dhawan. He has moved into 30s. India are 69/1 after 14 overs.

17:28 hrs IST: FOUR! Back of a length delivery from Phehlukwayo and Dhawan hits it well to fine leg boundary. India are 67/1 after 13 overs.

17:23 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Para power-lifter Sakina Khatun, who has not been included in the Indian contingent to represent the country at Commonwealth Games 2018 in the Gold Coast, Australia, has said that she will commit suicide in front of Indian Olympic Association (IOA), if her name is not considered for the Games. Read full story here

17:20 hrs IST: Great start from Phehlukwayo, only two runs off his first over. India are 52/1 after 11 overs.

17:16 hrs IST: Good display of stroke-play from Dhawan and Kohli. Just what India needed after Rohit’s dismissal. Pressure back on South Africa bowlers. Andile Phehlukwayo comes into the attack.

17:12 hrs IST: Chris Morris comes into the attack. Can he strike?

17:11 hrs IST: FOUR! This is excellent stuff from Dhawan. Overpitched, the India opener leans forward and hits it through cover. India are 44/1 after 9 overs.

17:07 hrs IST: FOUR! Overpitched from Ngidi and Kohli drills it in the gap between mid-off and cover. Another good over for the visitors, ten runs off it.

17:03 hrs IST: Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell’s fifty has kept Australia in the hunt in the second T20 (of the ongoing tri-series) against England, who scored 155/9.

17:01 hrs IST: Tidy over from Rabada, only one run off it. India are 29/1 after 7 overs.

16:57 hrs IST: FOUR! Too full from Ngidi and Kohli flicks it through square leg to move into double figures. India are 28/1 after 6 overs.

16:53 hrs IST: FOUR! Touch short from Rabada and it’s enough for Kohli to pull it through mid-wicket. India are 23/1 after 5 overs. Dhawan 13*, Kohli 9*

16:50 hrs IST: Dot ball to finish off from Ngidi. Good over for India, ten runs off it. They are 18/1 after 4 overs.

16:47 hrs IST: FOUR! This is poor from Ngidi. Full and wide and Dhawan caresses it through covers. He needs to get his length right.

16:45 hrs IST: FOUR! Full and wide from Rabada and Kohli flicks it to fine leg boundary. India are 8/1 after 3 overs. Ngidi again.

16:42 hrs IST: And the India captain survives a close call. South Africa appealed for LBW and he was given out, but the replays showed the ball hit the bat first before the pad. Lucky! Kohli needs to make this count.

16:39 hrs IST: Good over from Ngidi despite the boundary. Dhawan needs to keep his cool here. India are 4/1 after 2 overs. Rabada to continue.

16:36 hrs IST: FOUR! Fuller delivery from Ngidi, Dhawan leans forward and drives it through cover for his first boundary of the day.

16:35 hrs IST: Lungi Ngidi comes into the attack. He had a fantastic Test series with the bowl.

16:34 hrs IST: OUT! And Rohit’s horrendous tour continues. Good length ball from Rabada, near the off-stump, the India opener looks to leave but gets the toe end of the bat and Klassen does the rest. What a start for South Africa. India are 0/1 after first over.

16:30 hrs IST: Time for live action. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan make their way out in the middle, and so do the South Africa players. Kagiso Rabada to start the proceedings.

16:21 hrs IST: Pitch Report - “It’s gonna play like it’s played. Wristies will get something out of the pitch but the ball will come on a little quicker, so even if they bowl slow, South Africa’s batsmen will find it easier.” - say Mike Haysman and Neil McKenzie.

16:09 hrs IST: Here are the playing XIs. Along with Ngidi, Heinrich Klassen will be the wicketkeeper in the side.

India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Khaya Zondo, Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Lungisani Ngidi, Imran Tahir

16:04 hrs IST: South Africa have chosen to bowl in Newlands, Cape Town. Lungi Ngidi will make his ODI debut . India are unchanged.

15:56 hrs IST: Although South Africa have won 28 out of 33 ODIs in Cape Town, their form in the last two games suggest that they face an uphill task in this ODI. Victory for India will not only ensure that they do not lose the series, but also it will be the first time India has ever won three consecutive ODIs against the Proteas at home.

15:54 hrs IST: A warm welcome to the third ODI between India and South Africa from Cape Town. Not only are the hosts battling a crisis on the field, but they return to Cape Town, which has been gripped by a severe water crisis. Literally, the city has run out of water.

South Africa, who were already without AB de Viliers and Faf du Plessis, lost Quinton de Kock ahead of the third ODI. While the hosts didn’t rename a replacement for de Kock, young keeper Heinrich Klaasen, who finished as the third highest run-getter in South Africa’s domestic one-day tournament, is expected to make his ODI debut.

Going into the third game, India are unlikely to tinker with the winning combination, which has excelled in all the departments.

Barring opener Rohit Sharma, the top order batting comprising Shikhar Dhawan, Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have been in impressive form while in the bowling department, the wrist spin twins -- leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and chinaman Kuldeep Yadav -- have literally been the reason behind India’s two victories so far, sharing 13 wickets between them.

The pace trio Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and all-rounder Hardik Pandya, have complemented the spin duo well by getting the early breakthroughs and also keeping the pressure in the death overs.