India will meet South Africa in the third and final ODI of the three-match series on December 6, 2025, in Visakhapatnam. With the series tied at 1-1, India winning the opener in Ranchi and the Proteas storming back in Raipur, the action now heads to a decider.
In the past, India has also done well in ODI series deciders, showcasing great mental toughness when confronted by pressure. The Men in Blue have come out victorious on 23 occasions in ODI series deciders, the latest one being against South Africa in their own backyard in 2023.
In the 2023 series, India won the first match by eight wickets, but South Africa hit back to level the contest. In the series-deciding Paarl ODI, a young and energetic Indian side then produced a clinical performance, winning by 78 runs to clinch the series.
The current ODI series against South Africa is tied 1-1 after South Africa won the first match by 17 runs. Fitrain chasing a big total, India did well to post 349-7 with Virat Kohli being spectacular in scoring 135 off 120 balls, Rohit Sharma scoring a half ton and KL Rahul a steady knock of 60. South Africa’s pace bowlers shared the wickets equally, with two each, but the Proteas were all out for 332. Matthew Breetzke made 72, Marco Jansen 70 and Corbin Bosch 67. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was the star for India as he picked 4/68 and played a key role in bounding the hosts.
In the second game, the Men in Blue posted 358/7 as Virat Kohli score 102, Ruturaj Gaikwad hammered 105 and KL Rahul stayed unbeaten on 66. Marco Jansen returned figures of 2/63 from his 10 overs. Despite the huge target, South Africa needed only 49.2 overs to chase it down, with Aiden Markram scoring 110, Matthew Breetzke adding 68 and Dewald Brevis finishing unbeaten on 54. India’s bowlers failed to contain the scoring, with several conceding seven runs an over or more — a costly lapse when facing a strong chase.
