Live Report - Kohli hits back-to-back centuries after Gaikwad 105

Prasidh Krishna during a practice session•PTI

Prasidh Krishna has Bavuma caught on the hook at deep midwicket for 46. Bavuma was quite comfortable against spin. So, India and Prasidh shake things up. Bavuma hooked Prasidh for six on the fourth ball of the 21st over, but that doesn't deter Prasidh from sticking to his guns. He bangs another one into the middle of the deck and has Bavuma holing out. SA are 127 for 2 in the 21st over.

Rana kisses the ball after taking the catch in the outfield. Rahul punches his fist in joy. India feel like they're regaining control in Raipur.

Jaiswal drops Markram

A drag-down from Kuldeep on off. Markram loads up for the pull but does not middle it. This is a fairly straightforward catch for Jaiswal at the wide long-on boundary. But he makes a mess of it. He gets into an awkward side-on position, snatches at the ball, and lets it tip over the ropes. A catch turns into a six. Markram gets a life on 53. It's not going to be easy for India's spinners in dewy conditions.

Markram brings up his fifty

 

Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma led South Africa past the early blow•AFP/Getty Images

He gets there off 52 deliveries. He has settled down against spin and with the dew setting in, he seems to be building towards a big knock. At the other end, Bavuma has shaken off that blow to his elbow and is keeping SA in the hunt. India have turned to Kuldeep after 15 overs. The left-arm wristspinner gives up nine in his first over. SA are 92 for 1 in 16 overs.

Markram gets going in chase

 After seeing off the new ball, Markram has found his groove. He has played some handsome back-foot punches, moving to 30 off 32 balls. No wickets for Rana in his opening spell in Raipur after he had caused damage in Ranchi. Prasidh Krishna has pinged Bavuma on his unprotected elbow, but the SA captain is okay to resume. He's yet to find his groove today. SA are 51 for 1 in ten overs.

Arshdeep strikes early for India

In the early window that offered some swing and seam in Ranchi, India took three wickets in the first five overs. Raipur also provides that early window and Arshdeep strikes in the fifth over. He pushes it full and takes it away from de Kock, who tries to heave the ball over the leg side, but ends up popping it to mid-on, where Washington takes the catch. Gone for 8 off 11 balls.

Arshdeep also troubled Markram with swing when he got one to move back in sharply and thump his back pad, but ball-tracking indicated that it would've sailed over the stumps. At the other end, Harshit Rana is also testing the edges of Markram. SA are 26 for 1 in five overs.

Fit-again Hardik back in India's T20I squad

After proving his match fitness in the SMAT, Hardik Pandya has returned to India's T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against SA. Gill has also been named in the squad, subject to fitness clearance from the BCCI's CoE. There's no room for Rinku Singh or Nitish Kumar Reddy.

India T20I squad: Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt)*, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar

Breetzke's drop costs SA 22 runs as Rahul remains unbeaten on 66 off 43 balls. He finishes India's innings with 4,6,2 off Bosch while Jadeja also did his bit, scoring an unbeaten 24 off 27 balls. Bosch concedes 18 in the final over - the most expensive of the innings. Rahul's power and invention has swelled India's total. Is it a dew-proof one? I'll let you be the judge. Be back for SA's reply. They need to chase down 359 if they're to keep the series alive.

Back-to-back fifties for Rahul

Another good hand from Rahul in the middle order. He's taken charge of India's innings after the departure of centurions Gaikwad and Kohli. He gets to his half-century off 34 balls with a scythed boundary off Jansen. The left-arm quick could've had Rahul on 44 in his previous over, but Breetzke ended up dropping a regulation catch at sweeper cover. How much is the drop going to cost SA?

Burger suffers hamstring injury

Burger hurts him hamstring in the 39th over and leaves the field. He has hobbled off the field after bowling just one ball in that over. Markram completes the over.

Burger had started his seventh over when he lost his run up twice and appeared to struggle to land on his right leg. He held onto his right knee before walking off the field.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Burger is undergoing assessments but that the early diagnosis is that the injury has been sustained in his right hamstring. In the immediate term, it will affect South Africa's plans in this match and the third ODI on Saturday. Burger was not part of the T20I squad, where Anrich Nortje will make his return, and he may be called on earlier if South Africa feel they need extra pace. They are already without Kagiso Rabada, who has a rib niggle, and Gerald Coetzee, who was not picked for this tour.

Washington arrives and departs

Gone for 1. After reverse-sweeping more or less straight to short third, Washington searches for a non-existent single. Rahul rightly sends his partner back, but by the time Washington undoes his steps and pulls out a dive, he's caught short. There was no single there. India are 289 for 5 in 41 overs.

Hundred and out

Ngidi has Kohli holing out to long-on for 102 off 93 deliveries. He rolls his fingers across this back-of-a-length delivery and has Kohli dragging a catch to Markram at long-on. Kohli looked good for a whole lot more, but holes out. Washington Sundar joins KL Rahul at the crease with India are 284 for 4 in the 40th over.

Back-to-back hundreds for Kohli

There's an air of inevitability around an ODI hundred from Kohli. And this one is no different though he's in the twilight of his career and is a one-format player these days. It's the 11th time that Kohli has notched up back-to-back ODI tons. Kohli leaps for joy and has Raipur roaring with him.

He had opened his account with a superbly pulled six off Ngidi and continued to function on autopilot.

The outfield was so wet yesterday that India cancelled their fielding session, according to Deep Dasgupta, and dew could be a factor today too, but Kohli seems to be taking India to a dew-proof total.

Some respite for SA

After bothering Gaikwad with quick short deliveries in his opening spell, Jansen comes back and finally gets rid of Gaikwad with a slower offcutter into the pitch. Jansen has Gaikwad holing out for 105 off 83 balls, ending a terrific 195-run third-wicket stand with Kohli. Rahul joins Kohli in the middle with India at 257 for 3 in 36 overs.

Meet Gaikwad, the middle-order batter

Before today, Gaikwad had hit 17 List A centuries in 87 innings at an average of nearly 55. All of those tons, including an unbeaten 220, had come while opening the batting. But there's no room at the top for India in international cricket across formats.

Had Shreyas Iyer been fit, Gaikwad may not have got this chance in the middle order either. Picked ahead of natural middle-order batters like Tilak Varma and Rishabh Pant, Gaikwad shows his middle-order chops with his first List A hundred, also his first ODI hundred, as a non-opener. Gaikwad leaps for joy, soaks in the applause, and a hug from Kohli is also part of the celebrations.

Gaikwad had a shaky start against Jansen, but has been dominant against spin, sweeping and taking trips down the pitch with purpose. Some of those shots by Gaikwad against spin even had Kohli excited at the other end.

Kohli on the charge

Kohli advances at Bosch once again and drills it so very hard, leaving Gaikwad in the firing line and toppling over at the non-striker's end. The ball just eludes Gaikwad and rockets away into the boundary. Kohli surely enjoyed that. He then walks up to Gaikwad and pats him on his head. Kohli enters the 90s in style

Gaikwad shows his middle-order gears by crashing Maharaj for 4,6,4 in the 28th over, which costs SA 16 runs. After sweeping Maharaj flat and hard for four, Gaikwad ventures out of his crease, reaches the pitch of the ball and launches a six over midwicket. The pressure now gets to Maharaj. The left-arm fingerspinner is usually known for his accuracy but he drags a half-tracker on middle and Gaikwad duly dispatches it over wide mid-on for four more. India are 193 for 2 in 28 overs.

India's wretched luck with the toss

Kohli, Gaikwad bring up fifties

Ruturaj Gaikwad gets to his half-century off 52 balls, in the 24th over. In the next over, Kohli reaches his own fifty off 47 balls. Kohli has been the more fluent of the two, and is looking good to convert this into back-to-back centuries. He continues to function on autopilot in this format.

At the other end, Gaikwad, who began his career as a top-order batter, is getting used to a new role in the middle. After surviving the short-ball burst from Jansen, he has been more comfortable against spin and combined well with Kohli. India are 158 for 2 in 25 overs. Kohli and Gaikwad are setting India up for a dew-proof total.