Markram Century Powers South Africa to Record Chase, Trumps Kohli and Gaikwad Hundreds

In a staggering display of batting, South Africa chased down a mammoth 359 runs to defeat India by four wickets in the second ODI in Raipur, equaling the record for the highest successful run chase against India in men’s ODI history. The victory, sealed with four balls to spare, levels the three-match series 1-1 and sets up a decider in Visakhapatnam.

A Record-Breaking Chase

The Proteas’ chase of 359 is the joint-highest ever successfully chased against India, matching the 359 Australia chased in Mohali in 2019. It is also South Africa’s third-highest successful chase in ODIs overall. The team was anchored by captain Aiden Markram, who scored a masterful 110 off 88 balls—his first century in an ODI chase. He received crucial support from Matthew Breetzke (68), Dewald Brevis (54), and a calm finishing partnership between Corbin Bosch and Keshav Maharaj.

India’s bowlers struggled, particularly in dewy evening conditions which skipper KL Rahul said played a "huge part". The hosts were also left to rue a dropped catch by Yashasvi Jaiswal when Markram was on 53.

Kohli and Gaikwad Centuries in Vain

Despite the loss, the match was a landmark occasion for Indian batting. Virat Kohli smashed his second consecutive century of the series, scoring 102 off 93 balls. This was his 40th international century on home soil, moving him closer to Sachin Tendulkar's record of 42.

He was partnered by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who blasted his maiden ODI century—a 105 off just 83 balls. Their 195-run partnership is now India’s highest stand for any wicket against South Africa in ODIs.

Table: Successful 350+ Chases in India

| Target | Team     | Opposition | Venue, Year |

| 360        | India        | Australia      | Jaipur, 2013    |

| 359        | Australia    | India          | Mohali, 2019    |

| 359    | South Africa | India      | Raipur, 2025|

| 351        | India        | Australia      | Nagpur, 2013    |

India's Unwanted Toss Record

Even before a ball was bowled, India made an unfortunate kind of history. Captain KL Rahul lost the toss, extending India’s streak to 20 consecutive lost tosses in ODIs. Statisticians note the probability of this happening is a minuscule 1 in 1,048,576. This streak, which began after the 2023 World Cup semi-final, is now the longest such streak by a huge margin, with the Netherlands’ 11 lost tosses a distant second.

Other Key Records and Stats

The match was a bonanza for cricket statisticians:

   Match Aggregate: The 720 runs scored by both teams is the highest in any ODI between India and South Africa.

   Kohli's Milestones: Kohli now has 7 ODI centuries against South Africa—the most by any player. This was also the 11th time he has scored centuries in consecutive ODI innings, extending his own world record.

   Gaikwad's Landmark: Gaikwad’s century came off 77 balls, making it the second-fastest ODI hundred by an Indian against South Africa.

   Rohit Sharma crossed 9,000 international runs on Indian soil during his brief innings of 14.

Table: Virat Kohli's ODI Centuries Against Top Opponents

| Opponent     | Number of Centuries |

| Sri Lanka        | 10                      |

| West Indies      | 9                       |

| Australia        | 8                       |

| South Africa | 7                   |

With the series perfectly poised, both teams will now move to Visakhapatnam for the final ODI, where India will hope to break their toss jinx and South Africa will aim to carry their incredible batting momentum to a series victory.