Ahmedabad, Feb 27 (Inditop.com) AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis smashed unbeaten centuries as South Africa posted 365 for two, their highest total against India, in the third and last One-day International at the Sardar Patel Stadium here Saturday.
De Villiers (102 not out) and Kallis’s (104 not out) task was made easy by their openers Loots Bosman (68) and Hashim Amla (87), who rustled up a 113-run stand on what proved to be a hard day for the Indian bowlers.
The inexperienced Indian attack, in the absence of veteran Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar, failed to do much on a flat, dry track. The slow bowlers, Ravindra Jadeja (1-53) and Yusuf Pathan (1-66), who proved quite effective for India in the middle overs, too struggled.
Bosman was on the offensive from the start, plundering seven fours and four sixes in his 46 balls innings. Amla, who had a dream Test series, is happy playing the role of second fiddle and was fluent in his stroke play.
Pathan gave India the breakthrough when he lured Bosman to hit at long on and Jadeja made no mistake.
Amla looked well on course for a hundred before his innings was cut short by a slog sweep that went straight to the hands of Murali Vijay in the deep square leg off Jadeja. His 103-ball innings included eight fours.
De Villiers and Kallis then worked their way to build on the start. De Villiers was aggressive of the two, his innings coming in mere 59 balls with 11 fours and three
sixes.
Kallis cut loose once he reached his fifty, taking 94 balls for his century with five fours and three sixes.
