India won the third ODI of the series with nine wickets and 10 overs to spare, earning Kohli the Player of the Series award.
Virat Kohli said he has rediscovered his peak level of batting for the first time in three years after leading India to a series decisive victory over South Africa in the three-match One Day International (ODI) series.
The 37-year-old former captain left with his players winning the series trophy after India won the series 2-1 on Saturday in a remarkable turnaround from their recent struggles.
Kohli scored 302 runs, including a double ton, at an average of 151 with an unbeaten half-century. His final performance of the series came in the decider at Visakhapatnam as India chased 271 runs for victory.
After laying the foundation with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s maiden ODI hundred and Rohit Sharma’s 75, Kohli smashed 65 off 45 balls with three sixes before charging onto the pitch to score the deciding run in dramatic fashion.
His performance marked a stunning comeback for a player who had endured intense scrutiny after back-to-back ducks in Australia, but has since scored 376 runs in his final four innings.
Jaiswal, a 23-year-old who currently boasts a prolific track record in all three international formats, struggled in the early innings as Rohit led the batsmen to complete his 61st ODI half-century.
Rohit crossed 20,000 international runs during his knock, becoming the fourth Indian player to achieve this feat after Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli and Rahul Dravid.
Left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj curtailed the innings for Rohit, who had seven fours and three sixes in his 73-ball knock.
After turning 50, Jaiswal switched gears and reached one limit after another to achieve his goals.
The bowlers set up the victory as left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and fast bowler Prasidh Krishna took four wickets each to crush South Africa for 270 in 47.5 overs.
With the series level at 1-1, India finally won the ODI toss after a 20-game losing streak as captain KL Rahul broke an almost unbelievable jinx and put South Africa into bat.
Opening pitcher Quinton de Kock scored 106 runs off 89 balls, captain Themba Bavuma scored 113 runs with 48 runs, and it looked like South Africa would win by a landslide with a total of 168 wins and 2 losses, but their batting fell apart.
“We probably should have been smarter when we gave away our wickets,” Bavuma said. “The Indian team showed their quality and kudos to them.”
“I feel free in my heart.”
“Honestly, just playing my way in this series is the most satisfying thing for me. I think it’s been a couple of years since I’ve played at this level and I feel really free in my mind. The whole game is coming together well,” Kohli said.
“It’s exciting to be able to do what I’ve always tried to do as a player, maintain my standards that I’ve set for myself, and play at a level where I can have an impact on the team.
“And I know that when I can bat like that in the middle, it helps the team a lot because I have the slugging power and I can bat situationally. Just having confidence, I feel like…I have what it takes to handle that situation and give the team an advantage.”
The veteran, who has retired from Tests and T20 Internationals, admitted that even a player with over 16 years of experience in ODI cricket has faced periods of self-doubt, especially when one mistake can affect a batsman’s confidence.
“You tend to get to a place where you feel, ‘Maybe I’m not good enough.’ Nerves take over. That’s the beauty of sports. Especially with a skill like batting, you have to keep overcoming that fear,” Kohli explained after the match.
“Playing every ball and eventually playing long innings and getting into the zone where you can start playing with confidence again. So it’s a whole journey of learning, getting to know yourself better and becoming better as a person in the process.”
The ODI series win is some consolation for the 2-0 Test whitewash by the Proteas, but it was achieved after the team was boosted by the presence of veterans Kohli and Rohit, who currently play only in the 50-over format.
Both teams will play five T20 matches starting Tuesday in Cuttack.
