Irfan Pathan Analyzes India's ODI Defeat Against South Africa

In a recent analysis, Irfan Pathan discussed India's defeat to South Africa in the second ODI, attributing the loss to the Proteas' effective bowling strategy. Despite strong performances from Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who both scored centuries, South Africa's bowlers managed to restrict India in crucial overs. Pathan highlighted the importance of South Africa's bowling tactics and the impact of Aiden Markram's century in the chase. With the series now tied at 1-1, the upcoming match promises to be an exciting showdown.

By Narendra Chaudhary Dec 4, 2025, 10:18 IST

Irfan Pathan Reflects on India's Loss to South Africa

New Delhi, December 4: Irfan Pathan, the former Indian all-rounder, has pointed to South Africa's bowling tactics as a key factor in India's defeat during the second ODI. He noted that the Proteas effectively restricted India from overs 39 to 49, limiting their total to 358 runs.

Pathan emphasized that this phase of the game was pivotal, as South Africa's bowlers managed to rein in India's scoring, which ultimately influenced the match's outcome.

Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad laid a solid foundation for India, with Kohli scoring 102 runs off 93 balls and Gaikwad achieving his first ODI century with 105 runs off 83 balls.

Indian captain KL Rahul contributed significantly with an unbeaten 66 runs from 43 balls, helping the team reach a total of 358/5 in their allotted 50 overs. However, India faced challenges in the final nine overs, only managing to add 69 runs.

Aiden Markram's explosive century, along with fifties from Dewald Brevis and Matthew Breetzke, overshadowed the efforts of Gaikwad and Kohli as South Africa successfully chased down the target of 359 runs in Raipur.

Pathan praised Markram's performance, stating, “Aiden Markram played exceptionally well, alongside Temba Bavuma, Matthew Breetzke, and Dewald Brevis. The bowlers also deserve recognition for how they restricted India. The score of 358 could have been even higher, but they only conceded 55 runs between overs 39 and 49. Lungi Ngidi's performance was particularly noteworthy. KL Rahul's innings was impressive, but South Africa's ability to pull things back was crucial in determining the match's outcome.”

In the Raipur ODI, India batted first after being put in by the Proteas, who quickly had the hosts at 62/2 following the dismissals of Rohit Sharma (14) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (22). Kohli and Ruturaj then formed a formidable partnership, scoring 195 runs for the third wicket, putting India in a strong position.

KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja later added a brisk 69-run partnership for the sixth wicket, with Rahul scoring 66* off 43 balls and Jadeja contributing 24* off 27 balls. Marco Jansen was the standout bowler for South Africa, taking 2 wickets for 63 runs.

During the chase, the Proteas started aggressively but lost Quinton de Kock early. Temba Bavuma (46 off 48 balls) and Markram then built a solid 101-run partnership.

Markram notched his fourth ODI century and his first as an opener, scoring 110 runs off 98 balls, while another crucial partnership of 92 runs between Matthew Breetzke (68 off 64 balls) and Dewald Brevis (54 off 34 balls) shifted the momentum in favor of South Africa.

Despite injuries to Nandre Burger and Tony de Zorzi easing India's path, Keshav Maharaj (10*) and Corbin Bosch (25*) guided South Africa to a memorable victory with four wickets remaining and four balls to spare.

Arshdeep Singh was India's top bowler with figures of 2/54, while Harshit Rana's performance deteriorated after a poor over, and Prasidh Krishna's costly 82 runs in 8.2 overs significantly impacted the match.

This victory levels the three-match ODI series at 1-1, with the next match scheduled for Saturday at the Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.