Team India ended their South African tour with a thrilling win in the third and final T20I match at Newlands and with it, also sealed the series 2-1. The team was without its star performers &ndash; Virat Kohli and wrist-spin &#39;twins&#39; Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. But stand-in captain Rohit Sharma handled his troops brilliantly to take India to a 7-run win and completed India&rsquo;s limited overs double whammy.&nbsp;

After having lost the Test series 2-1, Team India have staged a remarkable turnaround to win both the ODI and T20I series and will now leave the South African shores with their heads held high and with hopes of a better tomorrow on future overseas tours.

India was asked to bat first yet again on a slowish sort of a surface and courtesy contrasting 40s from Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan and a cameo at the end by Hardik Pandya, the visitors were able to post a decent 172-7.

It wasn&rsquo;t a daunting total by any means but the Indian seam bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, began beautifully. They bowled nagging lines and in the first 6 overs, South Africa could only manage 25-1. They were always behind after that and looked certain for a heavy defeat after being reduced to 114-5 in 16.3 overs with all the big names back in the hut. However, a brilliant 49 off 24 balls by debutant Christiaan Jonker pulled things back for the Proteas. He smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes and brought South Africa within striking distance. Despite this stunning effort, however, South Africa could not manage to seal the game as Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar held their nerves to hold the surge. Jonker fell on the last ball of the innings and gave India a famous T20I victory.

What was laudable about India&rsquo;s performance was that they did not let the intensity dip. On such a long away tour, by the time the last games arrives, the visiting teams generally are so exhausted that they simply go through the motions. But this Indian team has shown that they are different. They have the gumption to fight and never give up, come what may. They showed that in the Test series after losing the first two Tests and coming back hard to clinch the last Test in emphatic fashion.&nbsp;

No one expected India to stage such an incredible performance in the limited overs series to follow. But led by a determined captain Virat Kohli and an exceptional show by the bowlers, India pegged the hosts back and achieved series victories in both the ODIs and the T20Is.

Another thing to note here is that Team India wasn&rsquo;t even at its best. Their middle-order has some serious issues and needs to be sorted out in earnest. But despite their flaws, India stuck together and played as a complete unit. This holds them in good stead for the 2019 World Cup.

For South Africa, a lot of questions need answering. Their bench strength isn&rsquo;t strong enough and they are too reliant on their previous stars to bail them out. The selectors and the team management have to work closely together and sort a cohesive plan to brood the team for the World Cup next year.

All in all, this was an entertaining and memorable tour for Team India. Never before has a visiting Indian side to South Africa returned with so much success. Virat Kohli and his men deserve all the accolades coming their way and should pat themselves on the back for this commanding performance.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Though the star performers Virat Kohli and wrist-spin 'twins' Chahal and Yadav were not on the pitch, India pulled off the T20I series against South Africa with a stunning win.

Team India ended their South African tour with a thrilling win in the third and final T20I match at Newlands and with it, also sealed the series 2-1. The team was without its star performers – Virat Kohli and wrist-spin 'twins' Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. But stand-in captain Rohit Sharma handled his troops brilliantly to take India to a 7-run win and completed India’s limited overs double whammy. After having lost the Test series 2-1, Team India have staged a remarkable turnaround to win both the ODI and T20I series and will now leave the South African shores with their heads held high and with hopes of a better tomorrow on future overseas tours. India was asked to bat first yet again on a slowish sort of a surface and courtesy contrasting 40s from Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan and a cameo at the end by Hardik Pandya, the visitors were able to post a decent 172-7. It wasn’t a daunting total by any means but the Indian seam bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, began beautifully. They bowled nagging lines and in the first 6 overs, South Africa could only manage 25-1. They were always behind after that and looked certain for a heavy defeat after being reduced to 114-5 in 16.3 overs with all the big names back in the hut. However, a brilliant 49 off 24 balls by debutant Christiaan Jonker pulled things back for the Proteas. He smashed 5 fours and 2 sixes and brought South Africa within striking distance. Despite this stunning effort, however, South Africa could not manage to seal the game as Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar held their nerves to hold the surge. Jonker fell on the last ball of the innings and gave India a famous T20I victory. What was laudable about India’s performance was that they did not let the intensity dip. On such a long away tour, by the time the last games arrives, the visiting teams generally are so exhausted that they simply go through the motions. But this Indian team has shown that they are different. They have the gumption to fight and never give up, come what may. They showed that in the Test series after losing the first two Tests and coming back hard to clinch the last Test in emphatic fashion. No one expected India to stage such an incredible performance in the limited overs series to follow. But led by a determined captain Virat Kohli and an exceptional show by the bowlers, India pegged the hosts back and achieved series victories in both the ODIs and the T20Is. Another thing to note here is that Team India wasn’t even at its best. Their middle-order has some serious issues and needs to be sorted out in earnest. But despite their flaws, India stuck together and played as a complete unit. This holds them in good stead for the 2019 World Cup. For South Africa, a lot of questions need answering. Their bench strength isn’t strong enough and they are too reliant on their previous stars to bail them out. The selectors and the team management have to work closely together and sort a cohesive plan to brood the team for the World Cup next year. All in all, this was an entertaining and memorable tour for Team India. Never before has a visiting Indian side to South Africa returned with so much success. Virat Kohli and his men deserve all the accolades coming their way and should pat themselves on the back for this commanding performance. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: India hold nerve to pull off stunning win, clinch T20I series against South Africa

This is the moment of king Kohli. He is just decimating bowling attack mercilessly. When he scored his third century in the recent ODI series with South Africa, eminent commentator Harsha Bhogle quipped on TV &ldquo;when did you last see a batsman dominating to such an extent&rdquo;. I know the most obvious answer; it was Sachin Tendulkar during 1998 and I am sure that each cricket freak of my generation must have thought the same. Later in the day, Bhogle himself tweeted that the Kohli&rsquo;s dominance nowadays is akin to Tendulkar&rsquo;s in 1998.

Exactly twenty years back in the calendar year of 1998, Sachin Tendulkar was on a roll, he was dominating, scoring runs at will and routing each and every bowling attack in the world.

First look at the numbers. Tendulkar played in 34 ODIs in 1998 and scored 1894 runs at a colossal average of 65.3 and with the whopping strike rate of 102. He smashed 40 sixes in all, but the most impressive fact is that he scored 9 ODI centuries and 7 ODI half-centuries in a single calendar year of 1998. In 5 Test matches, Sachin scored around 650 runs with an average of 80 plus and with 3 centuries.

You must be in awe of these unbelievable numbers, but trust me, it&#39;s just the tip of the iceberg as far as the splendor of Sachin-1998 is concerned. The main essence of Tendulkar&rsquo;s heroic in 1998 is the way he pulverized best of bowling attacks and the consistency with which he pulled matches for his country and bailed his side out of the crunch situation.

So what happened in 1998? What or who triggered this onslaught?

Well, there is a bit of story behind it. Tendulkar replaced Azhar as Indian captain in 1996. He was the heir apparent for years before he got the baton from Azhar. Sachin&rsquo;s success as captain, however, was rather tepid. India lost the Test series in South Africa and in West Indies. In a Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo, Sri Lanka scored 950 runs in a single Test inning.

Tendulkar was sacked from the captaincy towards the end of 1997. Tendulkar was taken aback; he was disappointed the way selectors snubbed him, hurriedly.

Years later Tendulkar confessed his disappointment unequivocally in his biographical film Sachin: A Billion Dreams. Sachin was hurt, pained and all that was vented out through his bat during 1998. Moreover, he was free from the pressure of captaincy.

Sachin Tendulkar in 1998 is all about larger than life performances by him, spellbound Cricket fraternity and interesting anecdotes which created a bona fide cult around the great man. &nbsp;

Australians were first, who has fallen prey to the Tendulkar&rsquo;s juggernaut when Australia visited India for a Test series (3-Test) after a gap of close to 12 years. Tendulkar was prepared. He toiled hard at the net and on rough pitches to counter hyper leg breaks of Warne. At Chennai during the first Test, Tendulkar pivoted the Indian victory by scoring a swashbuckling 155 in the third inning of Test. During that time, Shane Warne had been troubling best of world&rsquo;s batsmen with his insane turn after pitching the ball way outside the leg-stump. Warne was awestruck when Tendulkar dispatched similar deliveries into the stands during that knock. &nbsp;

Warne later confessed that he used to see Sachin in dreams, hitting him ruthlessly. That was the time when fraternity was indulged in a discussion &ldquo;Brain Lara vs Sachin Tendulkar, who is best among them&rdquo;. Warne endorsed that Tendulkar is a notch above Lara.

In April 1998, Tendulkar smashed two ODI centuries at Sharjah against Australia in a span of three days, which unarguably are among the finest ODI innings by an Indian. The first century put India into the final from a gloomy situation and second won the final for India.

It was ruthless hitting at Sharjah. I remember how Tony Grieg was going bonkers in the commentary box every time Tendulkar dispatched ball over the rope.

Tendulkar was so dominant in 1998 that Sir Don Bradman commented that he found Tendulkar&rsquo; batting pretty close to his own. In the same year 1998, Don celebrated his 90th birthday and Tendulkar along with Warne was the special invitee at his residence in Adelaide.

Later, Dennis Lillee told something very interesting about that carnage at Sharjah. Australian fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz went to the great Lillee for some tips to get Tendulkar out early in the innings. Lillee told him point-blank &ldquo;Dude, the kind of form Tendulkar is in, you shouldn&rsquo;t even think of getting him out. You just plan to save some runs against him&rdquo;. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Ajay Jadeja once narrated a very interesting incident about Tendulkar in 1998. During a triangular series at Sharjah during November 1998 in a match against Zimbabwe, Tendulkar was rattled by a short pitch delivery of fired up young pace bowler Henry Olanga. When Tendulkar came back in the pavilion, Jadeja smirked and insinuated his failure. Tendulkar smiled and replied, &ldquo;Buddy, wait till the next match&rdquo;.

The very next match was the final against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe scored 196 runs in the first inning. India scored 197 in just 30 overs without losing a single wicket. Tendulkar scored 124 not out at the strike rate of 135. Olanga learned some lesson on pace bowling from Tendulkar as he went for 50 runs in 6 overs.

A few years later in an interview, Indian coach during 1998 Anshuman Gaikwad spoke about Tendulkar in 1998. He said that in Chennai Test when India started his third inning, Anshuman told the team that a quick hundred from any of the batsmen would bring India back in the game. Tendulkar immediately reverted &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t worry coach; I will do the job for you&rdquo;.

Similarly, in Sharjah in April 1998 when India was struggling in the last league match against Australia, Tendulkar again told Anshuman that he would do the job.

So, in 1998, Tendulkar has not only scored runs, he also knew that he was going to score runs. That was the level of his self-confidence.

1998 was undoubtedly Tendulkar&rsquo;s year in the Cricket. The impact was so deep that even today if in any discussion 1998 is referred; I recall that it was the year when our master blasters blitzed. &nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Watching Virat Kohli scoring centuries one after another reminds us of Sachin Tendulkar who played like a beast during 1998.

This is the moment of king Kohli. He is just decimating bowling attack mercilessly. When he scored his third century in the recent ODI series with South Africa, eminent commentator Harsha Bhogle quipped on TV “when did you last see a batsman dominating to such an extent”. I know the most obvious answer; it was Sachin Tendulkar during 1998 and I am sure that each cricket freak of my generation must have thought the same. Later in the day, Bhogle himself tweeted that the Kohli’s dominance nowadays is akin to Tendulkar’s in 1998. Exactly twenty years back in the calendar year of 1998, Sachin Tendulkar was on a roll, he was dominating, scoring runs at will and routing each and every bowling attack in the world. First look at the numbers. Tendulkar played in 34 ODIs in 1998 and scored 1894 runs at a colossal average of 65.3 and with the whopping strike rate of 102. He smashed 40 sixes in all, but the most impressive fact is that he scored 9 ODI centuries and 7 ODI half-centuries in a single calendar year of 1998. In 5 Test matches, Sachin scored around 650 runs with an average of 80 plus and with 3 centuries. You must be in awe of these unbelievable numbers, but trust me, it's just the tip of the iceberg as far as the splendor of Sachin-1998 is concerned. The main essence of Tendulkar’s heroic in 1998 is the way he pulverized best of bowling attacks and the consistency with which he pulled matches for his country and bailed his side out of the crunch situation. So what happened in 1998? What or who triggered this onslaught? Well, there is a bit of story behind it. Tendulkar replaced Azhar as Indian captain in 1996. He was the heir apparent for years before he got the baton from Azhar. Sachin’s success as captain, however, was rather tepid. India lost the Test series in South Africa and in West Indies. In a Test against Sri Lanka at Colombo, Sri Lanka scored 950 runs in a single Test inning. Tendulkar was sacked from the captaincy towards the end of 1997. Tendulkar was taken aback; he was disappointed the way selectors snubbed him, hurriedly. Years later Tendulkar confessed his disappointment unequivocally in his biographical film Sachin: A Billion Dreams. Sachin was hurt, pained and all that was vented out through his bat during 1998. Moreover, he was free from the pressure of captaincy. Sachin Tendulkar in 1998 is all about larger than life performances by him, spellbound Cricket fraternity and interesting anecdotes which created a bona fide cult around the great man. Australians were first, who has fallen prey to the Tendulkar’s juggernaut when Australia visited India for a Test series (3-Test) after a gap of close to 12 years. Tendulkar was prepared. He toiled hard at the net and on rough pitches to counter hyper leg breaks of Warne. At Chennai during the first Test, Tendulkar pivoted the Indian victory by scoring a swashbuckling 155 in the third inning of Test. During that time, Shane Warne had been troubling best of world’s batsmen with his insane turn after pitching the ball way outside the leg-stump. Warne was awestruck when Tendulkar dispatched similar deliveries into the stands during that knock. Warne later confessed that he used to see Sachin in dreams, hitting him ruthlessly. That was the time when fraternity was indulged in a discussion “Brain Lara vs Sachin Tendulkar, who is best among them”. Warne endorsed that Tendulkar is a notch above Lara. In April 1998, Tendulkar smashed two ODI centuries at Sharjah against Australia in a span of three days, which unarguably are among the finest ODI innings by an Indian. The first century put India into the final from a gloomy situation and second won the final for India. It was ruthless hitting at Sharjah. I remember how Tony Grieg was going bonkers in the commentary box every time Tendulkar dispatched ball over the rope. Tendulkar was so dominant in 1998 that Sir Don Bradman commented that he found Tendulkar’ batting pretty close to his own. In the same year 1998, Don celebrated his 90th birthday and Tendulkar along with Warne was the special invitee at his residence in Adelaide. Later, Dennis Lillee told something very interesting about that carnage at Sharjah. Australian fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz went to the great Lillee for some tips to get Tendulkar out early in the innings. Lillee told him point-blank “Dude, the kind of form Tendulkar is in, you shouldn’t even think of getting him out. You just plan to save some runs against him”. Ajay Jadeja once narrated a very interesting incident about Tendulkar in 1998. During a triangular series at Sharjah during November 1998 in a match against Zimbabwe, Tendulkar was rattled by a short pitch delivery of fired up young pace bowler Henry Olanga. When Tendulkar came back in the pavilion, Jadeja smirked and insinuated his failure. Tendulkar smiled and replied, “Buddy, wait till the next match”. The very next match was the final against Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe scored 196 runs in the first inning. India scored 197 in just 30 overs without losing a single wicket. Tendulkar scored 124 not out at the strike rate of 135. Olanga learned some lesson on pace bowling from Tendulkar as he went for 50 runs in 6 overs. A few years later in an interview, Indian coach during 1998 Anshuman Gaikwad spoke about Tendulkar in 1998. He said that in Chennai Test when India started his third inning, Anshuman told the team that a quick hundred from any of the batsmen would bring India back in the game. Tendulkar immediately reverted “Don’t worry coach; I will do the job for you”. Similarly, in Sharjah in April 1998 when India was struggling in the last league match against Australia, Tendulkar again told Anshuman that he would do the job. So, in 1998, Tendulkar has not only scored runs, he also knew that he was going to score runs. That was the level of his self-confidence. 1998 was undoubtedly Tendulkar’s year in the Cricket. The impact was so deep that even today if in any discussion 1998 is referred; I recall that it was the year when our master blasters blitzed. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Today's Virat Kohli bears resemblance of Sachin during 1998

South African pacer Morne Morkel Monday announced that the forthcoming series against Australia will be his last in international cricket.&nbsp;

Morkel confirmed his decision at a media conference in Durban, soon after the Proteas landed in the coastal City.

The decision came as a shock to many in the cricket community.&nbsp;

&ldquo;It was an extremely tough decision but I feel the time is right to start a new chapter,&rdquo; Morkel said.

&ldquo;I have a young family and a foreign wife and the current demanding international schedule has put a lot of strain us. I have to put them first and this decision will only benefit us going forward,&rdquo; he added.

The 33-year-old fast bowler has played 83 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for the Proteas in an international career that began at the Boxing Day Test against India in 2006.

&ldquo;I have loved every minute that I have played in the Proteas jersey and I am incredibly grateful to my teammates, Cricket South Africa and my family and friends for the support over the years,&rdquo; Morkel said.

&ldquo;I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in me and I am excited for what lies ahead. For now, all of my energy and focus is on helping the Proteas win the upcoming series against Australia.&rdquo;

Morkel played each of the three Tests and five of the six ODIs in the just-concluded series against India, taking 13 wickets at 20.00 in the Tests.

If Morkel takes six wickets in the upcoming series against Australia, he will become the fifth South African bowler after Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn to take 300 wickets in the longest format of the game.&nbsp;

The first Test of the South Africa-Australia rubber will commence on March 1 at Durban&#39;s Kingsmead.&nbsp;

The decision came as a shock to many in the cricket community

South African pacer Morne Morkel Monday announced that the forthcoming series against Australia will be his last in international cricket. Morkel confirmed his decision at a media conference in Durban, soon after the Proteas landed in the coastal City. The decision came as a shock to many in the cricket community. “It was an extremely tough decision but I feel the time is right to start a new chapter,” Morkel said. “I have a young family and a foreign wife and the current demanding international schedule has put a lot of strain us. I have to put them first and this decision will only benefit us going forward,” he added. The 33-year-old fast bowler has played 83 Tests, 117 ODIs and 44 T20Is for the Proteas in an international career that began at the Boxing Day Test against India in 2006. “I have loved every minute that I have played in the Proteas jersey and I am incredibly grateful to my teammates, Cricket South Africa and my family and friends for the support over the years,” Morkel said. “I still feel there is a lot of cricket left in me and I am excited for what lies ahead. For now, all of my energy and focus is on helping the Proteas win the upcoming series against Australia.” Morkel played each of the three Tests and five of the six ODIs in the just-concluded series against India, taking 13 wickets at 20.00 in the Tests. If Morkel takes six wickets in the upcoming series against Australia, he will become the fifth South African bowler after Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn to take 300 wickets in the longest format of the game. The first Test of the South Africa-Australia rubber will commence on March 1 at Durban's Kingsmead.

Morne Morkel announces retirement from all forms of cricket after Australia series

South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple.

Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couple&#39;s&nbsp;credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown.

The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9.

But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area.

Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in &quot;extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable.&quot;

Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province.

The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an &quot;overreaction&quot;.

Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack.

&quot;Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere,&quot; he said.

Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a &quot;logistics base&quot; for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa.

&quot;We in the counter terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell,&quot; Ewi said.&nbsp;

Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couple's credit cards

South African special police unit Hawks have arrested an Indian-origin woman and her partner, both allegedly linked to ISIS, on charges of abducting a British couple. Fatima Patel and Safydeen Aslam Del Vecchio also face charges of robbery and theft after they went on a spending spree using the couple's credit cards, building up a stash of jewellery, camping equipment and electronic devices which were found at a remote location where an ISIS flag was being flown. The Hawks declined to provide any further information due to the sensitive nature of the case as the search continues for the couple whose vehicle was found abandoned more than 300 kms away from where they were last seen on February 9. But the weekly Sunday Times, quoting a charge sheet after their court appearance, reported that Patel and Del Vecchio also stand accused of contravening the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorism and Related Activities Act by hoisting an ISIS flag at a modest homestead in a rural area. Del Vecchio also faces another terrorism-related charge for allegedly participating in "extremist web forums that support ISIS and offering to supply phone numbers and sim cards that are not traceable." Yousha Tayob, the lawyer representing Patel and Del Vecchio, confirmed that the pair had appeared in the court and were remanded in custody at Westville Prison in KwaZulu-Natal province. The incident had prompted the British government to issue a travel advisory about possible terrorist attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa, but local Muslim organisations have dismissed this as an "overreaction". Ebrahim Deen of the Afro-Middle East Centre told the weekly that South African Muslims posed no threat to travellers and that the incident was more related to crime than an ISIS attack. "Muslims are largely integrated in (South African) society, are not disillusioned and they face little discrimination like in Europe and elsewhere," he said. Martin Ewi of the Institute for Security Studies said South Africa was regarded as a "logistics base" for terror cells in transit, and is not traditionally a target for attacks, although the arrests of Patel and Del Vecchio confirmed the presence of an active terror cell in South Africa. "We in the counter terror fraternity suspected that they were working as members of an active cell, and the kidnapping will confirm the presence of an active IS cell," Ewi said.

South Africa: ISIS-linked Indian-origin woman, partner arrested for kidnapping British couple

India won the final T-20 International&nbsp;match by 7 runs and claimed the series by 2-1&nbsp;at Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday. In a nail-biting match, where the last over decided the result India outplayed the Proteas to clinch the trophy and end the South Africa tour in style. The match was crucial for both of the teams as they both were eyeing to win the final clash&nbsp;to claim the trophy but it was India, who manifest&nbsp;the intent of winning and emerging as a champion.

Although India did not start off the innings well as the interim skipper Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early and also other batsmen could not produce results.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
India claim the series 2-1! They survive a stunning late charge from debutant Christiaan Jonker to seal victory in the 3rd T20I by seven runs! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> scorecard ➡️ <a href="https://t.co/tWQG20g5Mh">https://t.co/tWQG20g5Mh</a> <a href="https://t.co/J32j8qKug8">pic.twitter.com/J32j8qKug8</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/967480485810196481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

After winning the game Rohit Sharma said, &quot;Throughout the series, we showed a lot of intensity, which helped us get those crucial wins. We never backed down from whatever situation we were thrown in.&quot;

Dhawan scored 47 runs off 40, Raina played a breezy knock of 43 runs off 27 balls. Apart from the two, no other player managed to reach the 30-run mark. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) too fell off for 12 runs after playing 11 balls.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
???????? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/ma8G6Mr6iR">pic.twitter.com/ma8G6Mr6iR</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/967480982893932544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Debutant Jonker scared Indian bowlers as he scored 49 massive runs off 24 at a very crucial time. Being a new batsman, he startled Indian bowlers because none of the strategies were&nbsp;working against&nbsp;him. His knock gave chills to Indian pacers but it was Bhuvneshwar who took his wicket on the last delivery by edging the ball in the safe hands of Rohit Sharma.

For South Africa, captain JP Duminy tried to salvage South Africa and provided a support to the team by scoring 55 runs. He found a determined ally in David Miller and together they scored 35 runs for the team but Raina, who was awarded player of the match for scoring quick 43 runs took Miller&#39;s wicket and saw him off.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The 3rd T20I Player of the Match award goes to <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImRaina</a> after a dynamic batting display and a crucial wicket with the ball! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/mCjjc1cSOY">pic.twitter.com/mCjjc1cSOY</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/967484528838234112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Bhuvneshwar Kumar received player of the series for taking 7 wickets with an average of 9.57 in the T-20 series.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
India&#39;s <a href="https://twitter.com/BhuviOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BhuviOfficial</a> is the Player of the Series after 7 wickets in the series! Congratulations! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/9j03WJpNpo">pic.twitter.com/9j03WJpNpo</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/967484840777011201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 24, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Fall of wickets:&nbsp;

South Africa: 1-10 (Hendricks), 2-45 (Miller), 3-79 (Klaasen), 4-109 (Duminy), 5-114 (Morris), 6-165 (Jonker)

India: 1-14 (Sharma), 2-79 (Raina), 3-111 (Pandey), 4-126 (Dhawan), 5-151 (Dhoni), 6-163 (Pandya), 7-168 (Karthik)

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/3rd-t20-south-africa-opts-to-bowl-in-series-decider-kohli-ruled-out-due-to-injury-33941">Read here</a> what happend in the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/3rd-t20-south-africa-opts-to-bowl-in-series-decider-kohli-ruled-out-due-to-injury-33941">first innings</a>.

&nbsp;

Suresh Raina received man of the match and Bhuvneshwar awarded player of the series in the T-20 series

India won the final T-20 International match by 7 runs and claimed the series by 2-1 at Newlands, Cape Town on Saturday. In a nail-biting match, where the last over decided the result India outplayed the Proteas to clinch the trophy and end the South Africa tour in style. The match was crucial for both of the teams as they both were eyeing to win the final clash to claim the trophy but it was India, who manifest the intent of winning and emerging as a champion. Although India did not start off the innings well as the interim skipper Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early and also other batsmen could not produce results. India claim the series 2-1! They survive a stunning late charge from debutant Christiaan Jonker to seal victory in the 3rd T20I by seven runs! #SAvIND scorecard ➡️ https://t.co/tWQG20g5Mh pic.twitter.com/J32j8qKug8 — ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2018 × After winning the game Rohit Sharma said, "Throughout the series, we showed a lot of intensity, which helped us get those crucial wins. We never backed down from whatever situation we were thrown in." Dhawan scored 47 runs off 40, Raina played a breezy knock of 43 runs off 27 balls. Apart from the two, no other player managed to reach the 30-run mark. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) too fell off for 12 runs after playing 11 balls. ???????? #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/ma8G6Mr6iR — BCCI (@BCCI) February 24, 2018 × Debutant Jonker scared Indian bowlers as he scored 49 massive runs off 24 at a very crucial time. Being a new batsman, he startled Indian bowlers because none of the strategies were working against him. His knock gave chills to Indian pacers but it was Bhuvneshwar who took his wicket on the last delivery by edging the ball in the safe hands of Rohit Sharma. For South Africa, captain JP Duminy tried to salvage South Africa and provided a support to the team by scoring 55 runs. He found a determined ally in David Miller and together they scored 35 runs for the team but Raina, who was awarded player of the match for scoring quick 43 runs took Miller's wicket and saw him off. The 3rd T20I Player of the Match award goes to @ImRaina after a dynamic batting display and a crucial wicket with the ball! #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/mCjjc1cSOY — ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2018 × Bhuvneshwar Kumar received player of the series for taking 7 wickets with an average of 9.57 in the T-20 series. India's @BhuviOfficial is the Player of the Series after 7 wickets in the series! Congratulations! #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/9j03WJpNpo — ICC (@ICC) February 24, 2018 × Fall of wickets: South Africa: 1-10 (Hendricks), 2-45 (Miller), 3-79 (Klaasen), 4-109 (Duminy), 5-114 (Morris), 6-165 (Jonker) India: 1-14 (Sharma), 2-79 (Raina), 3-111 (Pandey), 4-126 (Dhawan), 5-151 (Dhoni), 6-163 (Pandya), 7-168 (Karthik) Read here what happend in the first innings.

3rd T-20 IND vs SA: India wins by 7 runs, ends South Africa tour by clinching T-20 series

Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina took hold of the Indian team and&nbsp;set a total of 172 runs for&nbsp;the loss of seven wickets in the 3rd and final T20 against South Africa.&nbsp;

While Dhawan scored 47 runs off 40, Raina played&nbsp;a breezy knock of 43 runs off 27 balls.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Apart from the two, no other player managed to reach the 30-run&nbsp;mark. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) too fell off for 12 runs after playing 11 balls.&nbsp; &nbsp;

India have suffered a big blow in the deciding Twenty20 against South Africa as they lost Virat Kohli due to a stiff back.&nbsp;

Opener Rohit Sharma is&nbsp;leading the side. South Africa won the toss and chose&nbsp;to bowl.&nbsp;

The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs.&nbsp; The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win.&nbsp;

India would be eyeing a perfect end to what has been a thoroughly roller-coaster tour.&nbsp;

For India, Dinesh has replaced Virat, Axar is in place of Chahal and Bumrah comes in place of Unadkat.

South Africa have also made two changes as they replaced J.J. Smuts and Dane Patterson with Christiaan Jonker, who will make his debut, and Aaron Phangiso.

The second match saw Manish Pandey come into his own, alongside MS Dhoni. Both the players scored half-centuries each. &nbsp;

Teams

India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur.

South Africa: J.P. Duminy (C), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Farhaan Behardien, Christiaan Jonker, Andile Phehlukwayo, Aaron Phangiso, Chris Morris, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina took hold of the Indian team and set a total of 172 runs for the loss of seven wickets in the 3rd and final T20 against South Africa. While Dhawan scored 47 runs off 40, Raina played a breezy knock of 43 runs off 27 balls. Apart from the two, no other player managed to reach the 30-run mark. Wicketkeeper-batsman Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) too fell off for 12 runs after playing 11 balls. India have suffered a big blow in the deciding Twenty20 against South Africa as they lost Virat Kohli due to a stiff back. Opener Rohit Sharma is leading the side. South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl. The three-match series is level at 1-1 after the Men in Blue won the first T20 in Johannesburg by 28 runs. The Proteas bounced back in Centurion with a six-wicket win. India would be eyeing a perfect end to what has been a thoroughly roller-coaster tour. For India, Dinesh has replaced Virat, Axar is in place of Chahal and Bumrah comes in place of Unadkat. South Africa have also made two changes as they replaced J.J. Smuts and Dane Patterson with Christiaan Jonker, who will make his debut, and Aaron Phangiso. The second match saw Manish Pandey come into his own, alongside MS Dhoni. Both the players scored half-centuries each. Teams India: Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel and Shardul Thakur. South Africa: J.P. Duminy (C), Reeza Hendricks, David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen, Farhaan Behardien, Christiaan Jonker, Andile Phehlukwayo, Aaron Phangiso, Chris Morris, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi.

3rd T20: Dhawan, Raina push India to 172/7 after 20 overs

The Indian women cricket team is on a roll. Their limited-overs tour to South Africa has been one of their most successful ones in recent times. After defeating the hosts 2-1 in the ODI series under Mithali Raj&rsquo;s captaincy, they now have an unassailable 2-1 lead in the T20Is as well. With the fifth and last game of the T20I series set to be played today at Newlands, Cape Town, India now stands a rare chance of double limited-overs whammy on this high-profile tour. Clinching the T20Is series would ensure that their tour ends on a complete successful note.&nbsp;

India has been thoroughly dominant in their performances here and barring a couple of occasions have looked like a well-balanced side. However, there are some causes of worry that captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her girls would like to address before the final T20I. After winning the first two games comfortably, they let the intensity dip and have not been up to their standards. The inclusion of bowlers Rumeli Dhar and Deepti Sharma in the last game, seen as a measure to strengthen their bowling unit, hasn&rsquo;t really paid rich dividends. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who was so successful in the ODI series, has been rather expensive in the two games she has played and has gone at an expensive economy rate of 8.50. &nbsp;

Clearly, India&rsquo;s spin bowling department is a cause for concern and that is something that the team management would need to work on before the Women&#39;s World T20 in November in West Indies.

Another issue that needs to be worked on is India&rsquo;s lower order which hasn&rsquo;t been able to contribute successfully. They have failed to capitalize on the robust starts provided by the Indian top-order, who has been in sensational form. The lower order has not been tested enough and in the third ODI India lost their last five wickets for nine runs.

The wicket at Cape Town for the final T20I is likely to be a high-scoring one and the Indian team would be banking on their batswomen to bail them through again. Star batswoman Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana have been India&rsquo;s top two run-getters of the series and would continue to provide India with solid starts. They would also seek solid contributions from Veda Krishnamurthy, who was excellent in the ODI series, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

And since South Africa has been handling India&rsquo;s spinners rather well, perhaps the inclusion of another pacer, Shikha Pandey, would not be a bad idea as well.

The T20I series in South Africa was an important one for the Indian women&rsquo;s team. With the World T20 just a few months away now, they need to look at their best possible combinations. They have been poor in the format and have suffered first-round exits in each of the last three editions of the World T20. This time, however, they have the team to make a difference and their performance in the first two T20Is against South Africa in this series certainly reflects that.

This final T20I against South Africa is hence of immense significance to India. Last year, the Indian women&rsquo;s team had made the nation proud by reaching the finals of the 50-over World Cup in England in emphatic fashion. The sport has gained a lot of attention and momentum in the country post the success of the World Cup and a win here would not only mean a successful T20I series victory against a top side away from home but will also hold Team India in good stead for the challenge of the World T20 later this year and will come as another shot in the arm for women&rsquo;s cricket in India. 
&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Indian women cricketers look to round off successful tour to South Africa with T20I series win. However, lower order and spinners need to be sorted before Women's World T20 in November in West Indies arrives.

The Indian women cricket team is on a roll. Their limited-overs tour to South Africa has been one of their most successful ones in recent times. After defeating the hosts 2-1 in the ODI series under Mithali Raj’s captaincy, they now have an unassailable 2-1 lead in the T20Is as well. With the fifth and last game of the T20I series set to be played today at Newlands, Cape Town, India now stands a rare chance of double limited-overs whammy on this high-profile tour. Clinching the T20Is series would ensure that their tour ends on a complete successful note. India has been thoroughly dominant in their performances here and barring a couple of occasions have looked like a well-balanced side. However, there are some causes of worry that captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her girls would like to address before the final T20I. After winning the first two games comfortably, they let the intensity dip and have not been up to their standards. The inclusion of bowlers Rumeli Dhar and Deepti Sharma in the last game, seen as a measure to strengthen their bowling unit, hasn’t really paid rich dividends. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad, who was so successful in the ODI series, has been rather expensive in the two games she has played and has gone at an expensive economy rate of 8.50. Clearly, India’s spin bowling department is a cause for concern and that is something that the team management would need to work on before the Women's World T20 in November in West Indies. Another issue that needs to be worked on is India’s lower order which hasn’t been able to contribute successfully. They have failed to capitalize on the robust starts provided by the Indian top-order, who has been in sensational form. The lower order has not been tested enough and in the third ODI India lost their last five wickets for nine runs. The wicket at Cape Town for the final T20I is likely to be a high-scoring one and the Indian team would be banking on their batswomen to bail them through again. Star batswoman Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana have been India’s top two run-getters of the series and would continue to provide India with solid starts. They would also seek solid contributions from Veda Krishnamurthy, who was excellent in the ODI series, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur. And since South Africa has been handling India’s spinners rather well, perhaps the inclusion of another pacer, Shikha Pandey, would not be a bad idea as well. The T20I series in South Africa was an important one for the Indian women’s team. With the World T20 just a few months away now, they need to look at their best possible combinations. They have been poor in the format and have suffered first-round exits in each of the last three editions of the World T20. This time, however, they have the team to make a difference and their performance in the first two T20Is against South Africa in this series certainly reflects that. This final T20I against South Africa is hence of immense significance to India. Last year, the Indian women’s team had made the nation proud by reaching the finals of the 50-over World Cup in England in emphatic fashion. The sport has gained a lot of attention and momentum in the country post the success of the World Cup and a win here would not only mean a successful T20I series victory against a top side away from home but will also hold Team India in good stead for the challenge of the World T20 later this year and will come as another shot in the arm for women’s cricket in India. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Indian bats-women Mithali Raj again a star in South Africa T20I, but what about lower order?

India won the last 5th T20I at Capetown by 54 runs and secured the series 3-1.&nbsp;

For a handy 62, Mithali Raj was rewarded as the Player of the Match. She was also awarded the Player of the series.&nbsp;

Shikha Pandey, Rumeli Dhar and Rajeshwari Gayakwad were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets each.

Earlier, heavy downpour caused a bit of a delayed start.&nbsp;

Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj gave India a solid start before a sensational catch from Masabata Klaas led to heer early dismissal.&nbsp;

Mithali Raj completed her third half-century in the series in just 46 balls. She was dismissed for 62 in Shabnim Ismail&rsquo;s over.&nbsp;

Ayabonga Khaka dismissed Jemimah Rodrigues for 44 in the next over. the last three overs were productive for the Indian women. 32 came off the last 18 deliveries.&nbsp;

India ended with 166/4 in 20 overs.&nbsp;

South Africa needed 167 to win the match. In reply, they lost wickets from the start.&nbsp;

Pandey and Dhar struck early and at the end of powerplay, they had lost four wickets.

Fall of wickets at regular intervals did not help their cause either as Proteas were bundled out for 112 in 18 overs.&nbsp;

After a formidable 2-1 victory in the 3-match ODI series, India went on to continue their dominance in the shortest format and went on to win the T20I series.

Earlier, heavy downpour caused a bit of a delayed start

India won the last 5th T20I at Capetown by 54 runs and secured the series 3-1. For a handy 62, Mithali Raj was rewarded as the Player of the Match. She was also awarded the Player of the series. Shikha Pandey, Rumeli Dhar and Rajeshwari Gayakwad were the pick of the bowlers with three wickets each. Earlier, heavy downpour caused a bit of a delayed start. Smriti Mandhana and Mithali Raj gave India a solid start before a sensational catch from Masabata Klaas led to heer early dismissal. Mithali Raj completed her third half-century in the series in just 46 balls. She was dismissed for 62 in Shabnim Ismail’s over. Ayabonga Khaka dismissed Jemimah Rodrigues for 44 in the next over. the last three overs were productive for the Indian women. 32 came off the last 18 deliveries. India ended with 166/4 in 20 overs. South Africa needed 167 to win the match. In reply, they lost wickets from the start. Pandey and Dhar struck early and at the end of powerplay, they had lost four wickets. Fall of wickets at regular intervals did not help their cause either as Proteas were bundled out for 112 in 18 overs. After a formidable 2-1 victory in the 3-match ODI series, India went on to continue their dominance in the shortest format and went on to win the T20I series.

5th ODI: India women beat South Africa by 54 runs, clinch T20I series 3-1

Team India is on a high at present. Having beaten South Africa 5-1 in the recently concluded ODI series and has also won the first T20I with comfort, they are on a wave of euphoria like very few visiting Indian teams have been in South Africa. One must bear in mind, however, that India&rsquo;s success in the recent ODI series against South Africa has been largely achieved through a combination of great bowling and outstanding batting by the top three.

The story of India&rsquo;s middle-order, however, is a cause for concern. Barring the second T20I, where Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni rescued India, the team&rsquo;s middle-order has struggled in the limited overs matches. Even coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his concerns over this and said that there is a lot of work to be done in this area. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an area that requires work to be done. The top-order has batted beautifully and our bowlers were phenomenal but the fifth, sixth and the seventh slot in the batting order needs to be worked upon. Once we&rsquo;re done with this series, we&rsquo;ll have to sit down and weigh all options once again very carefully,&rdquo; he was quoted as saying recently.

Indeed, a lot of work has to be done to bolster India&rsquo;s middle-order, especially for ODIs. &nbsp;Of late, the numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7 have been moved around too much and hence the Indian middle-order gives off an unsettled look. Players like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have all been used around in the middle-order with mixed results. Time and time again the top three Indian batsmen have laid the foundation only to find the middle-order botch things up. They have failed to capitalize on the solid starts that the top order has been providing regularly and have been finishing poorly.

Perhaps the first thing the Indian management can do is assign specific positions to the batsmen in the middle-order and let them thrive in it for some time.

India also needs to find a proper finisher. Hardik Pandya, after flourishing for a little while, seems to have fizzled out. In the ODI series against South Africa, Pandya managed just 26 runs at a very poor strike-rate of 74.28. These are discouraging numbers and right now India is in dire need of a hard-hitting finisher who can close the games for the team.&nbsp;

The Dhoni dilemma, too, needs to be addressed. India&rsquo;s veteran wicket-keeper batsman is not the batsman he once used to be and save for a few instances here and there, he generally struggles lower down the order. MS Dhoni flourishes the most in the No.4 or 5 positions and that is where he should be utilized now with the wealth of experience he has. At No.4 and 5, Dhoni averages above 50 and has 5 centuries along with 26 &nbsp;half centuries. Clearly, those are slots that he needs to be given more chances in.

Lastly, the team management should give more opportunities to talented young batsmen like KL Rahul who has been treated rather poorly by the team. He is a class player and has excelled for India in all the formats. He needs to be given more chances. Also, trying out youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, who have been knocking on the doors for a while, along with the 2018 U-19 World Cup stars, Prithvi Shaw and Shubhnam Gill, can be a good idea as well.

The 2019 World Cup is not very far now. India&rsquo;s top order and bowling unit looks pretty solid and settled. The only chink in their armour is their sagging middle-order. The time for team India to experiment and sort out their middle-order woes is now.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

India Needs to sort its middle order before the World Cup of 2019 arrives. Young players like K.L. Rahul and Prithvi Shaw should be given the chance.

Team India is on a high at present. Having beaten South Africa 5-1 in the recently concluded ODI series and has also won the first T20I with comfort, they are on a wave of euphoria like very few visiting Indian teams have been in South Africa. One must bear in mind, however, that India’s success in the recent ODI series against South Africa has been largely achieved through a combination of great bowling and outstanding batting by the top three. The story of India’s middle-order, however, is a cause for concern. Barring the second T20I, where Manish Pandey and MS Dhoni rescued India, the team’s middle-order has struggled in the limited overs matches. Even coach Ravi Shastri has expressed his concerns over this and said that there is a lot of work to be done in this area. “It’s an area that requires work to be done. The top-order has batted beautifully and our bowlers were phenomenal but the fifth, sixth and the seventh slot in the batting order needs to be worked upon. Once we’re done with this series, we’ll have to sit down and weigh all options once again very carefully,” he was quoted as saying recently. Indeed, a lot of work has to be done to bolster India’s middle-order, especially for ODIs. Of late, the numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7 have been moved around too much and hence the Indian middle-order gives off an unsettled look. Players like Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav have all been used around in the middle-order with mixed results. Time and time again the top three Indian batsmen have laid the foundation only to find the middle-order botch things up. They have failed to capitalize on the solid starts that the top order has been providing regularly and have been finishing poorly. Perhaps the first thing the Indian management can do is assign specific positions to the batsmen in the middle-order and let them thrive in it for some time. India also needs to find a proper finisher. Hardik Pandya, after flourishing for a little while, seems to have fizzled out. In the ODI series against South Africa, Pandya managed just 26 runs at a very poor strike-rate of 74.28. These are discouraging numbers and right now India is in dire need of a hard-hitting finisher who can close the games for the team. The Dhoni dilemma, too, needs to be addressed. India’s veteran wicket-keeper batsman is not the batsman he once used to be and save for a few instances here and there, he generally struggles lower down the order. MS Dhoni flourishes the most in the No.4 or 5 positions and that is where he should be utilized now with the wealth of experience he has. At No.4 and 5, Dhoni averages above 50 and has 5 centuries along with 26 half centuries. Clearly, those are slots that he needs to be given more chances in. Lastly, the team management should give more opportunities to talented young batsmen like KL Rahul who has been treated rather poorly by the team. He is a class player and has excelled for India in all the formats. He needs to be given more chances. Also, trying out youngsters like Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson, who have been knocking on the doors for a while, along with the 2018 U-19 World Cup stars, Prithvi Shaw and Shubhnam Gill, can be a good idea as well. The 2019 World Cup is not very far now. India’s top order and bowling unit looks pretty solid and settled. The only chink in their armour is their sagging middle-order. The time for team India to experiment and sort out their middle-order woes is now. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Dhoni and Indian middle order need revamping before World Cup 2019

South Africa beat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.

For the second time in his short career, Heinrich Klaasen halted India&#39;s cricketing juggernaut.

Klaasen slammed seven sixes in hitting 69 off 30 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 189 with eight balls to spare.

South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket.

The win squared the three-match series, taking it to a decider in Cape Town on Saturday.

India

R. Sharma lbw b Dala 0 
S. Dhawan c Behardien b Duminy 24 
S. Raina lbw b Phehlukwayo 30 
V. Kohli c Klaasen b Dala 1 
M. Pandey not out 79 
M. Dhoni not out 52 
Extras (lb1, w1) 2 
Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 188 
Did not bat: H. Pandya, B. Kumar, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, Y. Chahal 
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Sharma), 2-44 (Dhawan), 3-45 (Kohli), 4-90 (Raina) 
Bowling: Morris 4-1-42-0, Dala 4-1-28-2, Paterson 4-0-51-0, Duminy 2-0-13-1 (1w), Shamsi 2-0-24-0, Phehlukwayo 2-0-15-1, Smuts 2-0-15-0

South Africa

 
R. Hendricks c Pandya b Thakur 26 
J. Smuts c Raina b Unadkat 2 
J. Duminy not out 64 
H. Klaasen c Dhoni b Unadkat 69 
D. Miller c Thakur b Pandya 5 
F. Behardien not out 16 
Extras (lb2, w5) 7 
Total (4 wkts, 18.4 overs) 189 
Did not bat: A. Phehlukwayo, C. Morris, D. Paterson, J. Dala, T. Shamsi 
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Smuts), 2-38 (Hendricks), 3-131 (Klaasen), 4-141 (Miller) 
Bowling: Kumar 3-0-19-0, Thakur 4-0-31-1 (1w), Unadkat 3.4-0-42-2 (2w), Pandya 4-0-31-1 (1w), Chahal 4-0-64-0 (1w)

Result: South Africa won by six wickets

Series: The three-match series is tied at 1-1

Man of the match: Heinrich Klaasen

Toss: South Africa

Umpires: Allahudien Paleker, Bongani Jele (both RSA)

TV umpire: Adrian Holdstock (RSA)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

Chasing 189 for a win, South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket

South Africa beat India by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international at SuperSport Park on Wednesday. For the second time in his short career, Heinrich Klaasen halted India's cricketing juggernaut. Klaasen slammed seven sixes in hitting 69 off 30 balls as South Africa chased down a target of 189 with eight balls to spare. South Africa were jolted early by India pacers and were reduced to 2/38 before Klaasen and Duminy put on a 93-run stand for the third wicket. The win squared the three-match series, taking it to a decider in Cape Town on Saturday. India R. Sharma lbw b Dala 0 S. Dhawan c Behardien b Duminy 24 S. Raina lbw b Phehlukwayo 30 V. Kohli c Klaasen b Dala 1 M. Pandey not out 79 M. Dhoni not out 52 Extras (lb1, w1) 2 Total (4 wkts, 20 overs) 188 Did not bat: H. Pandya, B. Kumar, S. Thakur, J. Unadkat, Y. Chahal Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Sharma), 2-44 (Dhawan), 3-45 (Kohli), 4-90 (Raina) Bowling: Morris 4-1-42-0, Dala 4-1-28-2, Paterson 4-0-51-0, Duminy 2-0-13-1 (1w), Shamsi 2-0-24-0, Phehlukwayo 2-0-15-1, Smuts 2-0-15-0 South Africa R. Hendricks c Pandya b Thakur 26 J. Smuts c Raina b Unadkat 2 J. Duminy not out 64 H. Klaasen c Dhoni b Unadkat 69 D. Miller c Thakur b Pandya 5 F. Behardien not out 16 Extras (lb2, w5) 7 Total (4 wkts, 18.4 overs) 189 Did not bat: A. Phehlukwayo, C. Morris, D. Paterson, J. Dala, T. Shamsi Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Smuts), 2-38 (Hendricks), 3-131 (Klaasen), 4-141 (Miller) Bowling: Kumar 3-0-19-0, Thakur 4-0-31-1 (1w), Unadkat 3.4-0-42-2 (2w), Pandya 4-0-31-1 (1w), Chahal 4-0-64-0 (1w) Result: South Africa won by six wickets Series: The three-match series is tied at 1-1 Man of the match: Heinrich Klaasen Toss: South Africa Umpires: Allahudien Paleker, Bongani Jele (both RSA) TV umpire: Adrian Holdstock (RSA) Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)

India vs South Africa, 2nd T20I: South Africa beat India by six wickets, level series 1-1

Listeriosis infection in&nbsp;South African is reported to have claimed as many as 172 lives since the start of 2017. According to local officials, the country struggles to contain the disease in what is now being called the world&#39;s largest reported outbreak.

According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), close to 915 cases of the disease have been reported in the country so far, leading to 172 deaths.&nbsp;

Centres for Disease Control and Prevention describes Listeriosis as a &quot;serious infection&quot;, caused by consuming food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.&nbsp;

&quot;An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems,&quot; notes CDC&#39;s official website.&nbsp;

&quot;Outbreaks of Listeria infections in the 1990s were primarily linked to deli meats and hot dogs. Now, Listeria outbreaks are often linked to dairy products and produce. Investigators have traced recent outbreaks to soft cheeses, celery, sprouts, cantaloupe, and ice cream,&quot; states CDC.&nbsp;

915 cases of the disease have been reported in the country so far, leading to 172 deaths

Listeriosis infection in South African is reported to have claimed as many as 172 lives since the start of 2017. According to local officials, the country struggles to contain the disease in what is now being called the world's largest reported outbreak. According to the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), close to 915 cases of the disease have been reported in the country so far, leading to 172 deaths. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention describes Listeriosis as a "serious infection", caused by consuming food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. "An estimated 1,600 people get listeriosis each year, and about 260 die. The infection is most likely to sicken pregnant women and their newborns, adults aged 65 or older, and people with weakened immune systems," notes CDC's official website. "Outbreaks of Listeria infections in the 1990s were primarily linked to deli meats and hot dogs. Now, Listeria outbreaks are often linked to dairy products and produce. Investigators have traced recent outbreaks to soft cheeses, celery, sprouts, cantaloupe, and ice cream," states CDC.

Listeriosis outbreak: Death toll jumps to 172 in South Africa

Virat Kohli led-Team India has been a completely different outfit since collecting the third Test win against South Africa in Johannesburg.

They clinched their first-ever bilateral ODI series win by 5-1 on South African soil and even grabbed their first T20 win. &nbsp;&nbsp;

With the second T20 to be played today, the &#39;Men In Blue&#39; will enter the Centurion ground with hopes to seal the three-match series.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, South Africa will have to dig deep to level the series as India have run up an excellent sequence of results in last few matches. &nbsp;

South Africa are without two of their main weapons, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, and that showed in their loss in the series opener.

Suresh Raina and Manish Pandya have another chance to prove their potential, as both remained limited to a low score of 15 and 29 &nbsp;respectively in the first T20I match. &nbsp;

Batting first, India had set a target of 204 runs for the Proteas, but Indian pacer Bhubaneshwar Kumar 5 for 24 runs in four overs knocked the wind out of their chase

India pulled off a comfortable win of 28 runs after South African innings ended at 175 runs. 
&nbsp;

The three-match T20 series started February 18.

Virat Kohli led-Team India has been a completely different outfit since collecting the third Test win against South Africa in Johannesburg. They clinched their first-ever bilateral ODI series win by 5-1 on South African soil and even grabbed their first T20 win. With the second T20 to be played today, the 'Men In Blue' will enter the Centurion ground with hopes to seal the three-match series. Meanwhile, South Africa will have to dig deep to level the series as India have run up an excellent sequence of results in last few matches. South Africa are without two of their main weapons, AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, and that showed in their loss in the series opener. Suresh Raina and Manish Pandya have another chance to prove their potential, as both remained limited to a low score of 15 and 29 respectively in the first T20I match. Batting first, India had set a target of 204 runs for the Proteas, but Indian pacer Bhubaneshwar Kumar 5 for 24 runs in four overs knocked the wind out of their chase India pulled off a comfortable win of 28 runs after South African innings ended at 175 runs.

2nd T20: India go to Centurion with aim to seal series

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-1st-t-20-ind-vs-sa-south-africa-india-virat-kohli-suresh-raina-live-score-33260">India has won the first T20</a> International against South Africa at the Wanderers, Johannesburg by 28 runs to take 1-0 series lead in the&nbsp;in the first of the three-match series.

Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl.

The same old problems haunted the South African side as it suffered from inconsistency, poor fielding, bad shot selection and loose bowling which put them on the back foot in the ODI series.

For South Africa, Reeza Hendricks contributed 70 crucial runs and found a determined ally in Behardien but both of them could not stand the attacking bowling&nbsp;of Indian bowlers.

Bhuvneshwar scalped 5 wickets including that of Reeza Hendricks, JP Duminy, Klaasen in his career-best bowling figure.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
4-0-24-5. Career-best bowling figures from <a href="https://twitter.com/BhuviOfficial?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BhuviOfficial</a>. He also becomes the second Indian to pick up a five-fer in a T20I.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/lvudJkho3A">pic.twitter.com/lvudJkho3A</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/965252846051524609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> win the 1st T20I by 28 runs. 
 
1-0 up in the three-match T20I series.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/60uU74zs8w">pic.twitter.com/60uU74zs8w</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/965254019563376641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

For India, though opener Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early but displayed some mesmerising shots and scored 21 runs off 9 balls before&nbsp;leaving the ground.

In the fourth over, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/comeback-feels-like-playing-first-time-in-indian-jersey-raina-33243">Suresh Raina </a>lost his wicket as he hit the ball with the top edge and the ball went straight&nbsp;up in the air and landed in the hands of Junior Dala but<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/1st-t20-india-vs-south-africa-all-eyes-on-suresh-raina-33237">&nbsp;Raina </a>marked his presence today by playing some lovely shots. He played with a strike rate of 214.29.

Shikhar Dhawan played brilliantly and scored 72 runs to cruise his team to a mammoth score of 203.

Though, Virat got an early lifeline when his catch was dropped but eventually lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs.

Manish Pandey (29) and Hardik Pandya (13) remained unbeaten.

&nbsp;

Bhuvneshwar scalped 5 wickets including that of Reeza Hendricks, JP Duminy, Klaasen in his career-best bowling figure

India has won the first T20 International against South Africa at the Wanderers, Johannesburg by 28 runs to take 1-0 series lead in the in the first of the three-match series. Earlier, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl. The same old problems haunted the South African side as it suffered from inconsistency, poor fielding, bad shot selection and loose bowling which put them on the back foot in the ODI series. For South Africa, Reeza Hendricks contributed 70 crucial runs and found a determined ally in Behardien but both of them could not stand the attacking bowling of Indian bowlers. Bhuvneshwar scalped 5 wickets including that of Reeza Hendricks, JP Duminy, Klaasen in his career-best bowling figure. 4-0-24-5. Career-best bowling figures from @BhuviOfficial. He also becomes the second Indian to pick up a five-fer in a T20I.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/lvudJkho3A — BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2018 × #TeamIndia win the 1st T20I by 28 runs. 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series.#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/60uU74zs8w — BCCI (@BCCI) February 18, 2018 × For India, though opener Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early but displayed some mesmerising shots and scored 21 runs off 9 balls before leaving the ground. In the fourth over, Suresh Raina lost his wicket as he hit the ball with the top edge and the ball went straight up in the air and landed in the hands of Junior Dala but Raina marked his presence today by playing some lovely shots. He played with a strike rate of 214.29. Shikhar Dhawan played brilliantly and scored 72 runs to cruise his team to a mammoth score of 203. Though, Virat got an early lifeline when his catch was dropped but eventually lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs. Manish Pandey (29) and Hardik Pandya (13) remained unbeaten.

1st T20: Bhuvneshwar Kumar's five-wicket haul helps India to take 1-0 series lead

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-ties-the-knot-for-third-time-33289">Imran Khan gets married for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-ties-the-knot-for-third-time-33289">third</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/imran-khan-ties-the-knot-for-third-time-33289"> time, to &#39;spiritual guide&#39; Bushra Maneka</a>

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confirmed party chief Imran Khan&#39;s marriage to his &quot;spiritual guide&quot; Bushra Maneka, thus ending weeks of speculation about the union.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/south-africa-widens-zuma-corruption-probe-to-india-33308">South Africa widens Zuma corruption probe to India</a>

South Africa has widened a corruption probe into allies of ex-president Jacob Zuma to other countries including India, China and Dubai, the police minister said Sunday

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/florida-school-shooting-survivors-to-march-on-washington-call-for-gun-reform-33292">Florida school shooting survivors to march on Washington, call for gun reform</a>

Students who survived a mass shooting at their Florida school on Sunday announced plans to march on Washington in a bid to &quot;shame&quot; politicians into reforming laws that make firearms readily available.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-they-are-laughing-their-asses-off-in-moscow-33301">Trump: &#39;They are laughing their asses off in Moscow&#39;</a>

President Donald Trump said Sunday that Russia was succeeding beyond its &quot;wildest dreams&quot; in sowing US discord but refrained once more from directly challenging Moscow on its election meddling.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-plea-seeking-sit-probe-into-justice-loya-case-33305">Supreme Court to hear plea seeking SIT probe into Justice Loya case</a>

The Supreme Court will continue hearing three pleas seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the death of special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge BH Loya on Monday.

.

Imran Khan gets married for third time, to 'spiritual guide' Bushra Maneka Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confirmed party chief Imran Khan's marriage to his "spiritual guide" Bushra Maneka, thus ending weeks of speculation about the union. South Africa widens Zuma corruption probe to India South Africa has widened a corruption probe into allies of ex-president Jacob Zuma to other countries including India, China and Dubai, the police minister said Sunday Florida school shooting survivors to march on Washington, call for gun reform Students who survived a mass shooting at their Florida school on Sunday announced plans to march on Washington in a bid to "shame" politicians into reforming laws that make firearms readily available. Trump: 'They are laughing their asses off in Moscow' President Donald Trump said Sunday that Russia was succeeding beyond its "wildest dreams" in sowing US discord but refrained once more from directly challenging Moscow on its election meddling. Supreme Court to hear plea seeking SIT probe into Justice Loya case The Supreme Court will continue hearing three pleas seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the death of special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge BH Loya on Monday. .

WION Morning News Brief, February 19, 2018

South Africa has widened a corruption probe into allies of ex-president Jacob Zuma to other countries including India, China and Dubai, the police minister said Sunday.

Fikile Mbalula made the announcement days after South Africa issued an arrest warrant for one of the brothers of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-african-police-raid-home-of-guptas-friends-of-president-zuma-32846" target="_blank">Gupta business family</a>, close associates of scandal-plagued Zuma who was forced from power on Wednesday.

Mbalula told public broadcaster SABC that Ajay Gupta and another four people who are being sought in connection with the case were all out of the country.

While there was no indication that they fled the country fearing arrest, Mbalula vowed that they will &quot;be followed up&quot; through Interpol with the possibility of extradition to face trial in South Africa.

He said two of the suspects were of Indian descent and one other was Chinese. All are thought to be in India, China or Dubai.

&quot;We operate through Interpol, we operate through bilateral (means), if you ever resist there will be extradition. All means necessary will be employed to ensure these people are brought to book,&quot; said Mbalula.

He refused to name the suspects except for Ajay Gupta who police last week declared a fugitive.

Local media reports suggested &nbsp;that Zuma&#39;s son Duduzane, a business associate of the Guptas, is also among those being sought, and some speculated that he could be in Dubai.

The minister refused to say whether Duduzane Zuma is on the police wanted list.

&quot;There will be more arrests... it&#39;s not just a witch hunt,&quot; he added.

&quot;It doesn&#39;t matter, if you are a politician ... there are no holy cows, there are no untouchables.&quot;

In all, 13 people are facing charges linked to allegations that millions of dollars of public money meant for poor dairy farmers was syphoned off by the Guptas. Eight other suspects were arrested last week and have appeared in court.

In his first address to the nation hours after he assumed power on Friday, new South African President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to fight corruption in a direct reference to the accusations levelled at his predecessor Zuma.

South Africa is also looking at Zuma's contacts in China and Dubai

South Africa has widened a corruption probe into allies of ex-president Jacob Zuma to other countries including India, China and Dubai, the police minister said Sunday. Fikile Mbalula made the announcement days after South Africa issued an arrest warrant for one of the brothers of the Gupta business family, close associates of scandal-plagued Zuma who was forced from power on Wednesday. Mbalula told public broadcaster SABC that Ajay Gupta and another four people who are being sought in connection with the case were all out of the country. While there was no indication that they fled the country fearing arrest, Mbalula vowed that they will "be followed up" through Interpol with the possibility of extradition to face trial in South Africa. He said two of the suspects were of Indian descent and one other was Chinese. All are thought to be in India, China or Dubai. "We operate through Interpol, we operate through bilateral (means), if you ever resist there will be extradition. All means necessary will be employed to ensure these people are brought to book," said Mbalula. He refused to name the suspects except for Ajay Gupta who police last week declared a fugitive. Local media reports suggested that Zuma's son Duduzane, a business associate of the Guptas, is also among those being sought, and some speculated that he could be in Dubai. The minister refused to say whether Duduzane Zuma is on the police wanted list. "There will be more arrests... it's not just a witch hunt," he added. "It doesn't matter, if you are a politician ... there are no holy cows, there are no untouchables." In all, 13 people are facing charges linked to allegations that millions of dollars of public money meant for poor dairy farmers was syphoned off by the Guptas. Eight other suspects were arrested last week and have appeared in court. In his first address to the nation hours after he assumed power on Friday, new South African President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed to fight corruption in a direct reference to the accusations levelled at his predecessor Zuma.

South Africa widens Zuma corruption probe to India

India&#39;s tour to South Africa has entered in the final phase where both the teams will meet for a three-match <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/1st-t20-india-vs-south-africa-all-eyes-on-suresh-raina-33237">T20 International</a> series which will start from today at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.

For India, the major change is that they have called back Suresh Raina.

Raina played his last international T20 match on February 01, 2017 against England at Chinnaswamy Stadium.

On his comeback, Raina told BCCI TV, &quot;I have worked really hard for two years and coming to the Indian team feels like I am playing first time in India jersey&quot;

&quot;I was working hard for my game and waiting for the chance to come and Ravi Bhai (head coach Ravi Shastri) really supported me a lot and also Virat.&quot;

&quot;I am very happy about it, I have worked really hard, played each and every game in domestic cricket,&quot; he further added.

Raina is desperate to rejoin Indian cricket team ahead of World Cup 2019, and his performance in the T20 against South Africa will act as a decider.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
How&#39;s that for a <a href="https://twitter.com/ImRaina?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImRaina</a> flourish! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/O0KJR4ldww">pic.twitter.com/O0KJR4ldww</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/964872559627038721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

&quot;Whenever you play for your country, you desire to perform well. I am very blessed to represent my country, Raina told to a BCCI correspondent.

Raina mentioned &quot;I am a very positive person&quot; and said, &quot;Get back to my Indian jersey and win games for my country.&quot;

Surest Raina praised Indian skipper Virat Kohli and said, &quot;Virat has shown immense support to each and every player.&quot;

&quot;Virat is a quality leader and gives importance to each and every person,&quot; he added.

Raina also emphasised the atmosphere of the dressing room and spoke about team&#39;s bonding. He said, &quot;Indian team is happy with each other&#39;s success. I loved the dressing room atmosphere.&quot;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Snapshots from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a>&#39;s stint at the nets ahead of the 1st T20I at The Wanderers <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/PmeCwRjvFs">pic.twitter.com/PmeCwRjvFs</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/964867172295159808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Suresh Raina remained out of India cricket team for more than a year and worked hard to register a comeback which most of the players fail to do.

He summarised his chat with the BCCI correspondent by saying, &quot;Setbacks give lessons and make you tough.&quot;

&nbsp;

Suresh Raina remained out of Indian cricket team for more than a year and worked hard for the comeback

India's tour to South Africa has entered in the final phase where both the teams will meet for a three-match T20 International series which will start from today at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. For India, the major change is that they have called back Suresh Raina. Raina played his last international T20 match on February 01, 2017 against England at Chinnaswamy Stadium. On his comeback, Raina told BCCI TV, "I have worked really hard for two years and coming to the Indian team feels like I am playing first time in India jersey" "I was working hard for my game and waiting for the chance to come and Ravi Bhai (head coach Ravi Shastri) really supported me a lot and also Virat." "I am very happy about it, I have worked really hard, played each and every game in domestic cricket," he further added. Raina is desperate to rejoin Indian cricket team ahead of World Cup 2019, and his performance in the T20 against South Africa will act as a decider. How's that for a @ImRaina flourish! #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/O0KJR4ldww — BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2018 × "Whenever you play for your country, you desire to perform well. I am very blessed to represent my country, Raina told to a BCCI correspondent. Raina mentioned "I am a very positive person" and said, "Get back to my Indian jersey and win games for my country." Surest Raina praised Indian skipper Virat Kohli and said, "Virat has shown immense support to each and every player." "Virat is a quality leader and gives importance to each and every person," he added. Raina also emphasised the atmosphere of the dressing room and spoke about team's bonding. He said, "Indian team is happy with each other's success. I loved the dressing room atmosphere." Snapshots from #TeamIndia's stint at the nets ahead of the 1st T20I at The Wanderers #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/PmeCwRjvFs — BCCI (@BCCI) February 17, 2018 × Suresh Raina remained out of India cricket team for more than a year and worked hard to register a comeback which most of the players fail to do. He summarised his chat with the BCCI correspondent by saying, "Setbacks give lessons and make you tough."

Comeback feels like playing first time in Indian jersey: Raina

India&#39;s tour to South Africa has entered in the final phase where both the teams will meet for a three-match T20 International series which will start from&nbsp;today at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.

Recently, India had created history, winning the six-match ODI series by 5-1 on South African soil,&nbsp;Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments,&nbsp;fielding, batting and bowling.

Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly.

Earlier, South Africa started the most awaited tour by winning the Test series by 2-1 but later, in the limited overs format, they lost the momentum.

Though, they have suffered a thrashing ODI&nbsp;defeat but still have the potential to outplay India in the T20 series.

Squad (TBC)

India: &nbsp;Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni(wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lokesh Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur&nbsp;

South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, JJ Smuts, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy(c), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen(wk), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Junior Dala, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien, Christiaan Jonker, Tabraiz Shamsi

JP Duminy will lead the Proteas and has made few changes in the squad. The T20 line up looks entirely different from what South Africa had in ODI.

As South Africa has to host Australia for a four-Test match series from February 22, hence, the bigs guns are resting for the T20 series.

For India, the major change is that they have called back Suresh Raina. Raina played his last international T20 match almost a year&nbsp;ago against England at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Feb 01, 2017.

All eyes are on Suresh Raina as he is one of the favourites when it comes toT20 format. In IPL, Raina was retained by Chennai Super Kings for an amount of 11 crores.

Raina is desperate to rejoin Indian cricket team ahead&nbsp;of World Cup 2019, and his performance&nbsp;will act as a decider.

&nbsp;

Raina played his last international T20 match a year ago against England at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on February 01, 2017

India's tour to South Africa has entered in the final phase where both the teams will meet for a three-match T20 International series which will start from today at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. Recently, India had created history, winning the six-match ODI series by 5-1 on South African soil, Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling. Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly. Earlier, South Africa started the most awaited tour by winning the Test series by 2-1 but later, in the limited overs format, they lost the momentum. Though, they have suffered a thrashing ODI defeat but still have the potential to outplay India in the T20 series. Squad (TBC) India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni(wk), Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lokesh Rahul, Jaydev Unadkat, Dinesh Karthik, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur South Africa: Reeza Hendricks, JJ Smuts, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy(c), David Miller, Heinrich Klaasen(wk), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Junior Dala, Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Farhaan Behardien, Christiaan Jonker, Tabraiz Shamsi JP Duminy will lead the Proteas and has made few changes in the squad. The T20 line up looks entirely different from what South Africa had in ODI. As South Africa has to host Australia for a four-Test match series from February 22, hence, the bigs guns are resting for the T20 series. For India, the major change is that they have called back Suresh Raina. Raina played his last international T20 match almost a year ago against England at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Feb 01, 2017. All eyes are on Suresh Raina as he is one of the favourites when it comes toT20 format. In IPL, Raina was retained by Chennai Super Kings for an amount of 11 crores. Raina is desperate to rejoin Indian cricket team ahead of World Cup 2019, and his performance will act as a decider.

1st T20 India vs South Africa: All eyes on Suresh Raina

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl&nbsp;in the first&nbsp;T20 match against India&nbsp;at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.

An absolute splendid start for team India was registered by the batsmen, though opener Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early but displayed some mesmerising shots and scored 21 runs off 9 balls before&nbsp;leaving the ground.

In the fourth over, Suresh Raina lost his wicket as he hit the ball with the top edge and the ball went straight&nbsp;up in the air and landed in the hands of Junior Dala but&nbsp;Raina marked his presence today by playing some lovely shots. He played with a strike rate of 214.29.

Shikhar Dhawan played brilliantly and scored 72 runs to cruise his team to a mammoth score of 2013.

Though, Virat got an early lifeline when his catch was dropped but eventually lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs.

Manish Pandey (29) and Hardik Pandya (13) remained unbeaten.

Recently, India had created history, winning the six-match ODI series by 5-1 on South African soil,&nbsp;Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments,&nbsp;fielding, batting and bowling.

Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly.

Earlier, South Africa started the most awaited tour by winning the Test series by 2-1 but later, in the limited overs format, they lost the momentum.

Though, they have suffered a thrashing ODI&nbsp;defeat but still have the potential to outplay India in the T20 series.

Playing XI:

South Africa:&nbsp;JJ Smuts, Reeza Hendricks, Jean-Paul Duminy(c), David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Paterson, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi

India:&nbsp;Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

&nbsp;

Shikhar Dhawan showcased cricketing brilliance and knocked 72 runs off 39 balls

South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl in the first T20 match against India at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. An absolute splendid start for team India was registered by the batsmen, though opener Rohit Sharma lost his wicket early but displayed some mesmerising shots and scored 21 runs off 9 balls before leaving the ground. In the fourth over, Suresh Raina lost his wicket as he hit the ball with the top edge and the ball went straight up in the air and landed in the hands of Junior Dala but Raina marked his presence today by playing some lovely shots. He played with a strike rate of 214.29. Shikhar Dhawan played brilliantly and scored 72 runs to cruise his team to a mammoth score of 2013. Though, Virat got an early lifeline when his catch was dropped but eventually lost his wicket after scoring 26 runs. Manish Pandey (29) and Hardik Pandya (13) remained unbeaten. Recently, India had created history, winning the six-match ODI series by 5-1 on South African soil, Indian team outplayed South African side in all departments, fielding, batting and bowling. Virat led team remained very calm and composed throughout the ODI series and perform brilliantly. Earlier, South Africa started the most awaited tour by winning the Test series by 2-1 but later, in the limited overs format, they lost the momentum. Though, they have suffered a thrashing ODI defeat but still have the potential to outplay India in the T20 series. Playing XI: South Africa: JJ Smuts, Reeza Hendricks, Jean-Paul Duminy(c), David Miller, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dane Paterson, Junior Dala, Tabraiz Shamsi India: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli(c), Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah

1st T20 IND vs SA: Dhawan shines, India set 203 as target

South Africa&#39;s new president Cyril Ramaphosa is under pressure to reshuffle his cabinet.

Opposition parties and civil society believe that changes in cabinet will signal Ramaphosa&#39;s seriousness about rooting out corruption and fighting state capture.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected the fifth democratic president of South Africa, just hours after the dramatic resignation of former president Jacob Zuma. Opposition parties and many from the governing African National Congress are expecting the new president to make sweeping changes to the cabinet.

Ramaphosa is under pressure to fire incompetent ministers and those implicated in wide corruption as soon as possible.

&quot;There&#39;s absolutely no doubt that there would be cosmetic changes in the cabinet. The main reason I think is to reinforce key messages that he&#39;s going to stick on, one is the anti-corruption and this has been the key focus, not just of the president but also of the party as well as the nation. There has been a damage to the image of the country in terms of corruption or perceived corruption under President Zuma,&quot; said Dr. David Monyae, a political analyst.

&quot;He&#39;s laying that basis to ride on the optimism he has generated and to demonstrate to South Africans that they can trust him and believe in him to take South Africa to a new level. So this whole renewal agenda must be demonstrated and exhibited at every level of government and the cabinet will be the most critical component of government to exhibit that President Cyril Ramaphosa is really determined to lead a new team and drive a new agenda,&quot; said Gideon Chitanga, another political analyst.

The names of ministers who are widely understood would be axed include Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who replaced Pravin Gordhan in March last year.

There is speculation that Lindiwe Sisulu could become Ramaphosa&#39;s deputy. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is also among the names being circulated as possible deputy presidents, as Ramaphosa may want to bring Zuma loyalists into the fold for the sake of unity.

&quot;He might go for a female deputy president and there are quite a number of key female members of ANC (African National Council) that could occupy that position quite easily. You have Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. It would give key unity within the party itself. We have Lindiwe Sisulu, another highly respected and capable minister that could be elevated to deputy,&quot; said Monyae.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected the fifth democratic president of South Africa

South Africa's new president Cyril Ramaphosa is under pressure to reshuffle his cabinet. Opposition parties and civil society believe that changes in cabinet will signal Ramaphosa's seriousness about rooting out corruption and fighting state capture. President Cyril Ramaphosa was elected the fifth democratic president of South Africa, just hours after the dramatic resignation of former president Jacob Zuma. Opposition parties and many from the governing African National Congress are expecting the new president to make sweeping changes to the cabinet. Ramaphosa is under pressure to fire incompetent ministers and those implicated in wide corruption as soon as possible. "There's absolutely no doubt that there would be cosmetic changes in the cabinet. The main reason I think is to reinforce key messages that he's going to stick on, one is the anti-corruption and this has been the key focus, not just of the president but also of the party as well as the nation. There has been a damage to the image of the country in terms of corruption or perceived corruption under President Zuma," said Dr. David Monyae, a political analyst. "He's laying that basis to ride on the optimism he has generated and to demonstrate to South Africans that they can trust him and believe in him to take South Africa to a new level. So this whole renewal agenda must be demonstrated and exhibited at every level of government and the cabinet will be the most critical component of government to exhibit that President Cyril Ramaphosa is really determined to lead a new team and drive a new agenda," said Gideon Chitanga, another political analyst. The names of ministers who are widely understood would be axed include Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba, who replaced Pravin Gordhan in March last year. There is speculation that Lindiwe Sisulu could become Ramaphosa's deputy. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is also among the names being circulated as possible deputy presidents, as Ramaphosa may want to bring Zuma loyalists into the fold for the sake of unity. "He might go for a female deputy president and there are quite a number of key female members of ANC (African National Council) that could occupy that position quite easily. You have Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. It would give key unity within the party itself. We have Lindiwe Sisulu, another highly respected and capable minister that could be elevated to deputy," said Monyae.

South African president under pressure to reshuffle cabinet

Smriti Mandhana extended her rich vein of form in her maiden tour of South Africa by registering her third fifty-plus score across formats.

Mithali Raj also scored her fourth successive half-century in the 20-over format - her second in the current series against South Africa - to help India secure a nine-wicket victory.&nbsp;

With this win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.

As many as seven South African batters got into double digits to help the hosts finish with a total of 142 for 7.&nbsp;

Poonam Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 18 from her four overs.&nbsp;

In reply, India rode on a 106-run stand between Mandhana, 57 off 42 and Raj 76 not out off 61, with the latter scoring her third unbeaten half-century in as many innings in T20Is.&nbsp;

India&#39;s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to find the boundaries and finished the match without one.&nbsp;

But Raj didn&#39;t get the pressure get to India as she found the fence four times in the last four overs, including one off Shabnim Ismail off the first ball of the final over which helped India over the line.

Mandhana registered her third fifty-plus score across formats

Smriti Mandhana extended her rich vein of form in her maiden tour of South Africa by registering her third fifty-plus score across formats. Mithali Raj also scored her fourth successive half-century in the 20-over format - her second in the current series against South Africa - to help India secure a nine-wicket victory. With this win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. As many as seven South African batters got into double digits to help the hosts finish with a total of 142 for 7. Poonam Yadav was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with figures of 2 for 18 from her four overs. In reply, India rode on a 106-run stand between Mandhana, 57 off 42 and Raj 76 not out off 61, with the latter scoring her third unbeaten half-century in as many innings in T20Is. India's T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur struggled to find the boundaries and finished the match without one. But Raj didn't get the pressure get to India as she found the fence four times in the last four overs, including one off Shabnim Ismail off the first ball of the final over which helped India over the line.

Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana power India to 2-0 lead

Virat Kohli has literally made the 22-yard strip his own kingdom and the India captain is not in a mood to &quot;compete with anyone&quot; for any specific &quot;tag&quot; such as the best batsman in world cricket.

Kohli was again at the forefront scoring a staggering 558 runs (including three hundreds) in his team&#39;s 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa but made it clear that he has never ever played cricket to be a &quot;headline grabber&quot;.

&quot;At this stage, I don&rsquo;t feel like competing with anyone. It&rsquo;s all about how I prepare before the game and what my work ethics are and how I am feeling on game day. My only motivation is to get into that frame of mind. I am not competing with anyone at all,&quot; Kohli said at the post-match press conference.

The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself.

&quot;But if you are thinking about being ahead of someone else then you will be found out very soon by this game and you are compromising on what the team needs as well,&rdquo; the skipper said after anchoring his team home with yet another ODI hundred.

Asked if he can now be termed as the best batsman in world cricket, the straight-talking skipper said: &quot;As I said, I don&rsquo;t want any tags. I don&rsquo;t want any headlines. I just go out there and do my job, it is up to the people to write what they write, I don&rsquo;t want to be called anything.

&quot;It&rsquo;s my job, I am supposed to do what I am doing and I am not doing anyone a favour, so just want to be in this zone of working as hard as I can and trying to do the best for the team,&quot; the skipper added in a matter-of-fact manner.

The skipper once again made it clear that public perceptions are least of his concerns as long as his team knows his worth.

&quot;What matters is what the management thinks about me, what I think about the players and what the players think about me. That&rsquo;s all that matters to me. I know the headlines change from day in and day out. Tomorrow I play a bad shot and get out for zero everyone will conveniently do what they want to do, so it&rsquo;s not my job to say anything about what I do.

&quot;Yes, if I make a mistake I will come here and accept it. I have never been one to give excuses and will remain like that. But I am never one to come here and praise myself. I can never do that because as I said, this is a job for me. I am not doing anyone a favour,&rdquo; the skipper&#39;s statement showed that how much the criticisms in the past has hurt him.

While India&#39;s ODI juggernaut has rolled on, there have been questions raised about the quality of opposition playing ODI cricket and the skipper&#39;s views made it clear that he wasn&#39;t amused one bit. 
Questioned if this was India&#39;s best overseas win, pat came a terse response: &ldquo;You people can tell!&quot;

&quot;One month back we were a very bad team. Now we are being asked these questions. We haven&#39;t changed our mindset. Now whether this is the biggest win or no, whoever wants to analyze, write will do so,&quot; Kohli&#39;s response made it clear from where it was coming.

It was a sense of deja vu for the skipper, who had a slight altercation with the media at this very venue after the team lost the Test series.

&ldquo;I know for a fact that 90 percent people didn&rsquo;t give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we&rsquo;ve come from,&quot; the sarcasm was not lost on anyone.

&quot;I am not going to live in a dreamland right now and accept all the praise, sit here and feel good about this, because it doesn&#39;t matter to me. Honestly it doesn&#39;t. It didn&#39;t matter when we were 2-0 down, it doesn&#39;t matter now that we are 5-1 up because what matters is the respect in the change-room,&quot; the disdain and disregard for the media was once again evident in each and every sentence that he spoke.

The skipper sounded a bit irritated when asked about South Africa being laid low by injuries to senior players.

&ldquo;Whether the team was what it was supposed to be was not in our hands. It&rsquo;s none of our concern. We want to take the best team as far as we can on the field and have the best mindset to perform on every given day that we represent our country. That remains our mind set regardless of what happens.&quot;&nbsp;

The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself

Virat Kohli has literally made the 22-yard strip his own kingdom and the India captain is not in a mood to "compete with anyone" for any specific "tag" such as the best batsman in world cricket. Kohli was again at the forefront scoring a staggering 558 runs (including three hundreds) in his team's 5-1 ODI series win against South Africa but made it clear that he has never ever played cricket to be a "headline grabber". "At this stage, I don’t feel like competing with anyone. It’s all about how I prepare before the game and what my work ethics are and how I am feeling on game day. My only motivation is to get into that frame of mind. I am not competing with anyone at all," Kohli said at the post-match press conference. The key to consistency is not thinking too ahead of himself. "But if you are thinking about being ahead of someone else then you will be found out very soon by this game and you are compromising on what the team needs as well,” the skipper said after anchoring his team home with yet another ODI hundred. Asked if he can now be termed as the best batsman in world cricket, the straight-talking skipper said: "As I said, I don’t want any tags. I don’t want any headlines. I just go out there and do my job, it is up to the people to write what they write, I don’t want to be called anything. "It’s my job, I am supposed to do what I am doing and I am not doing anyone a favour, so just want to be in this zone of working as hard as I can and trying to do the best for the team," the skipper added in a matter-of-fact manner. The skipper once again made it clear that public perceptions are least of his concerns as long as his team knows his worth. "What matters is what the management thinks about me, what I think about the players and what the players think about me. That’s all that matters to me. I know the headlines change from day in and day out. Tomorrow I play a bad shot and get out for zero everyone will conveniently do what they want to do, so it’s not my job to say anything about what I do. "Yes, if I make a mistake I will come here and accept it. I have never been one to give excuses and will remain like that. But I am never one to come here and praise myself. I can never do that because as I said, this is a job for me. I am not doing anyone a favour,” the skipper's statement showed that how much the criticisms in the past has hurt him. While India's ODI juggernaut has rolled on, there have been questions raised about the quality of opposition playing ODI cricket and the skipper's views made it clear that he wasn't amused one bit. Questioned if this was India's best overseas win, pat came a terse response: “You people can tell!" "One month back we were a very bad team. Now we are being asked these questions. We haven't changed our mindset. Now whether this is the biggest win or no, whoever wants to analyze, write will do so," Kohli's response made it clear from where it was coming. It was a sense of deja vu for the skipper, who had a slight altercation with the media at this very venue after the team lost the Test series. “I know for a fact that 90 percent people didn’t give us a chance after two Tests. I was sitting in the same room giving a press conference. So we understand where we’ve come from," the sarcasm was not lost on anyone. "I am not going to live in a dreamland right now and accept all the praise, sit here and feel good about this, because it doesn't matter to me. Honestly it doesn't. It didn't matter when we were 2-0 down, it doesn't matter now that we are 5-1 up because what matters is the respect in the change-room," the disdain and disregard for the media was once again evident in each and every sentence that he spoke. The skipper sounded a bit irritated when asked about South Africa being laid low by injuries to senior players. “Whether the team was what it was supposed to be was not in our hands. It’s none of our concern. We want to take the best team as far as we can on the field and have the best mindset to perform on every given day that we represent our country. That remains our mind set regardless of what happens."

I don't feel like competing with anyone: Virat Kohli

Veteran Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana hit stylish half-centuries as India cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the second women&#39;s T20 International.

The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team is now 2-0 up in the five-match series, having won the opening encounter by seven wickets.

Chasing a modest 143, India cantered to victory in 19.1 overs as Mandhana hit a blistering 57 off 42 balls while Raj anchored the innings to perfection with her second successive half-century, remaining unbeaten on 76 off 61 balls.

Raj awarded &#39;Player of the Match&#39; once again. &quot;The wicket was on the slower side and it wouldn&#39;t have been easy for a new batter to come in and start hitting straightaway. The century partnership (with Mandhana) was really important,&quot; Raj said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Her skipper Harmanpreet was equally ecstatic with the senior pro&#39;s performance. &quot;We had discussed that if a player gets settled, she would have to bat through. It was a fantastic effort from Mithali di as she performed the role of a senior player,&quot; she said.

Mandhana struck four boundaries and three sixes --- one off leg-spinner Dane van Niekerk and another two off Raisibe Ntozakhe. It wasn&#39;t exactly a flawless inning as she was dropped twice during her second half-century in the shortest format.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
2nd T20I: <a href="https://twitter.com/mandhana_smriti?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mandhana_smriti</a> brings up her half-century with a six. Ind - 91/0 after 12 overs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/waJtIh9zXv">pic.twitter.com/waJtIh9zXv</a>
&mdash; BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCIWomen/status/964491705859956737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Along with one day skipper Raj, Mandhana added 106 runs for the opening stand in 14.2 overs.

Mandhana, who scored a century and a half-century in India&#39;s ODI series win, was in her element, attacking the Proteas bowling from the word go and reaching her half-century off only 37 balls.

Raj, on the other hand, completed her 12th T20 half-century off 48 deliveries. She waited for the loose deliveries to hit her customary cover drives and also rotated the strike well.

Only after Mandhana was adjudged leg before, she took charge with 23 needed off the last three overs.

She targeted medium pacer Ayabonga Khaka, bowling the 18th over, hitting her for two boundaries to ease off any pressure that was there. 
In all, Raj hit eight boundaries and the last was a thump over mid-wicket off Shabnim Ismail, which brought about India&#39;s victory.

Earlier, leg-spinner Poonam Yadav (2/18 in 4 overs) and off-spinner Anuja Patil (2/37 in 4 overs) shared a bulk of the spoils as the Proteas women could never up to the ante during the entire 20 overs.

The only notable partnership was between Sune Luus (33) and Nadine de Klerk (26), who added 43 runs for the fifth wicket after they were in a spot of bother at 58 for 4. 
&nbsp;

Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana hit stylish half-centuries as India cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the second women's T20 International

Veteran Mithali Raj and opener Smriti Mandhana hit stylish half-centuries as India cruised to a comfortable nine-wicket victory over South Africa in the second women's T20 International. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led team is now 2-0 up in the five-match series, having won the opening encounter by seven wickets. Chasing a modest 143, India cantered to victory in 19.1 overs as Mandhana hit a blistering 57 off 42 balls while Raj anchored the innings to perfection with her second successive half-century, remaining unbeaten on 76 off 61 balls. Raj awarded 'Player of the Match' once again. "The wicket was on the slower side and it wouldn't have been easy for a new batter to come in and start hitting straightaway. The century partnership (with Mandhana) was really important," Raj said at the post-match presentation ceremony. Her skipper Harmanpreet was equally ecstatic with the senior pro's performance. "We had discussed that if a player gets settled, she would have to bat through. It was a fantastic effort from Mithali di as she performed the role of a senior player," she said. Mandhana struck four boundaries and three sixes --- one off leg-spinner Dane van Niekerk and another two off Raisibe Ntozakhe. It wasn't exactly a flawless inning as she was dropped twice during her second half-century in the shortest format. 2nd T20I: @mandhana_smriti brings up her half-century with a six. Ind - 91/0 after 12 overs #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/waJtIh9zXv — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) February 16, 2018 × Along with one day skipper Raj, Mandhana added 106 runs for the opening stand in 14.2 overs. Mandhana, who scored a century and a half-century in India's ODI series win, was in her element, attacking the Proteas bowling from the word go and reaching her half-century off only 37 balls. Raj, on the other hand, completed her 12th T20 half-century off 48 deliveries. She waited for the loose deliveries to hit her customary cover drives and also rotated the strike well. Only after Mandhana was adjudged leg before, she took charge with 23 needed off the last three overs. She targeted medium pacer Ayabonga Khaka, bowling the 18th over, hitting her for two boundaries to ease off any pressure that was there. In all, Raj hit eight boundaries and the last was a thump over mid-wicket off Shabnim Ismail, which brought about India's victory. Earlier, leg-spinner Poonam Yadav (2/18 in 4 overs) and off-spinner Anuja Patil (2/37 in 4 overs) shared a bulk of the spoils as the Proteas women could never up to the ante during the entire 20 overs. The only notable partnership was between Sune Luus (33) and Nadine de Klerk (26), who added 43 runs for the fifth wicket after they were in a spot of bother at 58 for 4.

Raj, Mandhana fire India to 9-wicket win over South Africa

India won the One Day International six-match series against South Africa by 5-1.

Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on&nbsp;the South African soil.

He also becomes first Indian captain to hit three centuries in the single ODI series&nbsp;and also becomes fastest batsman to score 17,000 international runs.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
India captain <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> is the Player of the Series - the first player ever to score over 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series! ???? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/UCIoL6gF39">pic.twitter.com/UCIoL6gF39</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964558077101006852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

For his magical performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series as he scored 558 runs in the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-the-reasons-behind-indias-historic-victory-692#photo-37950">In pics: Reasons behind India&#39;s historic victory against South Africa</a>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
A third century of the series for <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> gets him his third Player of the Match award of the series! 
 
He&#39;s the first Indian to score three centuries in a bilateral ODI series! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/2s8EHjQDMw">pic.twitter.com/2s8EHjQDMw</a>
&mdash; ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/964557531858259968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

In the post-match interview, he said that he gives credits to the wife (Anushka Sharma) as she always supported him.

He also mentioned that Anushka had been criticised in the past for his&nbsp;poor performance.

So he dedicated the victory and match-winning&nbsp;knock to her.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/cricket-virat-kohli-shardul-thakur-india-south-africa-6th-odi-team-india-indvssa-team-india-live-33105">Also read:&nbsp;Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory</a>

&nbsp;

In the post-match interview Virat said that he gives credit to his wife Anushka Sharma

India won the One Day International six-match series against South Africa by 5-1. Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. He also becomes first Indian captain to hit three centuries in the single ODI series and also becomes fastest batsman to score 17,000 international runs. India captain @imVkohli is the Player of the Series - the first player ever to score over 500 runs in a bilateral ODI series! ???? #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/UCIoL6gF39 — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × For his magical performance throughout the series captain, Kohli awarded Man of the series as he scored 558 runs in the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. In pics: Reasons behind India's historic victory against South Africa A third century of the series for @imVkohli gets him his third Player of the Match award of the series! He's the first Indian to score three centuries in a bilateral ODI series! #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/2s8EHjQDMw — ICC (@ICC) February 16, 2018 × In the post-match interview, he said that he gives credits to the wife (Anushka Sharma) as she always supported him. He also mentioned that Anushka had been criticised in the past for his poor performance. So he dedicated the victory and match-winning knock to her. Also read: Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory

Virat Kohli gives credit to wife Anushka for his performance

South African police on Thursday said they have obtained an arrest warrant for absconding Ajay Gupta, the India-born close aide of scandal-hit former president Jacob Zuma, media reports said

The Hawks -- the police&#39;s elite high-priority crimes unit -- on Wednesday arrested three people as they raided the posh home of India-born Guptas, a controversial business family linked to Zuma, who resigned on Thursday.

Ajay&sbquo; the patriarch of the embattled Gupta family&sbquo; is &quot;on the run&quot; and surrounded by a team of heavily armed bodyguards, Times Live reported quoting police officials.

Hawks officials confirmed that Ajay was a fugitive from the law and that they had obtained a warrant for his arrest, the report said.

The warrant comes amid media reports indicating that Ajay&#39;s brother Atul was also being sought.

Their nephew Verun Gupta on Thursday appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrate&#39;s Court on charges of corruption, fraud and theft, the report said.

The charges relate to the theft of 220-million rand ($19 million) from the Free State agricultural department.

Verun appeared alongside his co-accused and Gupta family lieutenants Ronica Ragovan&sbquo; Ashu Chawla&sbquo; Nazeem Howa&sbquo; Kamal Vasrum&sbquo; and Free State agricultural officials Peter Thebetha and Takisi Janki Masiteng and chief of staff of national mining department Sylvia Dlamini.

Howa&sbquo; Gupta&sbquo; Chawla&sbquo; Vasrum and Gupta were released on 200&sbquo;000 rand bail each while Thebetha&sbquo; Masiteng and Dlamini were each released on 10&sbquo;000 rand bail, the report said.

They will appear in court again on August 17.

Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that they were searching for Ajay.

&quot;As far as our team investigating state capture is concerned, he is a fugitive from the law,&quot; he said.

&quot;He has surrounded himself with bodyguards. We spoke to his lawyers&sbquo; he was meant to be surrendered but never did.&quot;

&quot;We have issued a warrant of arrest for him. Although those protecting him must know they are protecting a wanted suspect. They will be charged with aiding and abetting a suspect,&quot; the officer said, adding that they had flagged border posts and were hoping to close in on Ajay soon.

On Wednesday, the Hawks carried out raids at the home of the Gupta family in the plush suburb of Saxonwold in Johannesburg in connection with the Vrede farm investigation.

The Gupta family owns a range of business interests in South Africa, including computing, mining, air travel, energy, technology, and media.

The three brothers, Atul, Rajesh and Ajay, moved to South Africa in 1993 from India, just as white-minority rule was ending.

They are known friends of 75-year-old President Zuma - and his son, daughter and one of the president&#39;s wives worked for the family&#39;s firms, media reports said.

The Gupta brothers have been accused of wielding enormous political influence in South Africa, with critics alleging that they have tried to &quot;capture the state&quot; to advance their own business interests.

The Vrede farm investigation relates to the Estina dairy farm near Vrede, in the Free State, a project which was originally meant to help poor black farmers but from which the Gupta family are alleged to have pocketed millions of dollars, the allegations they deny.

Zuma&#39;s links to the Guptas are one of the reasons he resigned before the 2019 general election. The Guptas and Zuma have denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

The Hawks -- the police's elite high-priority crimes unit -- on Wednesday arrested three people as they raided the posh home of India-born Guptas, a controversial business family linked to Zuma, who resigned on Thursday

South African police on Thursday said they have obtained an arrest warrant for absconding Ajay Gupta, the India-born close aide of scandal-hit former president Jacob Zuma, media reports said The Hawks -- the police's elite high-priority crimes unit -- on Wednesday arrested three people as they raided the posh home of India-born Guptas, a controversial business family linked to Zuma, who resigned on Thursday. Ajay‚ the patriarch of the embattled Gupta family‚ is "on the run" and surrounded by a team of heavily armed bodyguards, Times Live reported quoting police officials. Hawks officials confirmed that Ajay was a fugitive from the law and that they had obtained a warrant for his arrest, the report said. The warrant comes amid media reports indicating that Ajay's brother Atul was also being sought. Their nephew Verun Gupta on Thursday appeared before the Bloemfontein Magistrate's Court on charges of corruption, fraud and theft, the report said. The charges relate to the theft of 220-million rand ($19 million) from the Free State agricultural department. Verun appeared alongside his co-accused and Gupta family lieutenants Ronica Ragovan‚ Ashu Chawla‚ Nazeem Howa‚ Kamal Vasrum‚ and Free State agricultural officials Peter Thebetha and Takisi Janki Masiteng and chief of staff of national mining department Sylvia Dlamini. Howa‚ Gupta‚ Chawla‚ Vasrum and Gupta were released on 200‚000 rand bail each while Thebetha‚ Masiteng and Dlamini were each released on 10‚000 rand bail, the report said. They will appear in court again on August 17. Hawks spokesman Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed that they were searching for Ajay. "As far as our team investigating state capture is concerned, he is a fugitive from the law," he said. "He has surrounded himself with bodyguards. We spoke to his lawyers‚ he was meant to be surrendered but never did." "We have issued a warrant of arrest for him. Although those protecting him must know they are protecting a wanted suspect. They will be charged with aiding and abetting a suspect," the officer said, adding that they had flagged border posts and were hoping to close in on Ajay soon. On Wednesday, the Hawks carried out raids at the home of the Gupta family in the plush suburb of Saxonwold in Johannesburg in connection with the Vrede farm investigation. The Gupta family owns a range of business interests in South Africa, including computing, mining, air travel, energy, technology, and media. The three brothers, Atul, Rajesh and Ajay, moved to South Africa in 1993 from India, just as white-minority rule was ending. They are known friends of 75-year-old President Zuma - and his son, daughter and one of the president's wives worked for the family's firms, media reports said. The Gupta brothers have been accused of wielding enormous political influence in South Africa, with critics alleging that they have tried to "capture the state" to advance their own business interests. The Vrede farm investigation relates to the Estina dairy farm near Vrede, in the Free State, a project which was originally meant to help poor black farmers but from which the Gupta family are alleged to have pocketed millions of dollars, the allegations they deny. Zuma's links to the Guptas are one of the reasons he resigned before the 2019 general election. The Guptas and Zuma have denied all allegations of wrongdoing.

'South African police issue arrest warrant for Ajay Gupta'

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa&nbsp;at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.

Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil.

For his magical performace throughout&nbsp;the series captain Kohli awarded with Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the&nbsp;final ODI.

Earlier India won the toss and opted to bowl and South Africa again struggled to score runs as the batting order did not show any stability.

India kept taking quick wickets and continued to build up the pressure on the South African team.

Opener Aiden Markram scored 24 runs and Hashim Amla scored only 10 runs. The top batting order was thrashed by Shardul Thakur and Yuzi Chahal.

Chahal saw AB de Villiers off and celebrated the moment of taking the biggest wicket by doing a dab. AB scored 30 off 32 balls.

For South Africa, Khaya Zondo scored maximum (54) but could not handle the pressure and edged an easy catch&nbsp;of Chahal&#39;s ball in the safe hands of Hardik Pandya.

Fall of wickets:

23-1 (Hashim Amla, 6.3), 43-2 (Aiden Markram, 9.5), 105-3 (AB de Villiers, 20.5), 135-4 (Heinrich Klaasen, 30.3), 136-5 (Farhaan Behardien, 31.2), 142-6 (Chris Morris, 33.3), 151-7 (Khaya Zondo, 36.6), 187-8 (Morne Morkel, 43.4), 192-9 (Imran Tahir, 45.4), 204-10 (Andile Phehlukwayo, 46.5)

For India, Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah sends off Heinrich Klaasen (22) and Imran Tahir (2). Hardik Pandya (20) saw off Morne Morkel and Kuldeep Yadav took Chris Morris&#39;s (4) wicket. Yuzi out bowled AB de Villiers (30) and Khaya Zondo (54).

India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1.

&nbsp;

Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs

India won the 6th ODI as well as the series against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. Virat Kohli slammed a magnificent century to lead the team to a historic win on the South African soil. For his magical performace throughout the series captain Kohli awarded with Man of the series and also Man of the match for an amazing knock in the final ODI. Earlier India won the toss and opted to bowl and South Africa again struggled to score runs as the batting order did not show any stability. India kept taking quick wickets and continued to build up the pressure on the South African team. Opener Aiden Markram scored 24 runs and Hashim Amla scored only 10 runs. The top batting order was thrashed by Shardul Thakur and Yuzi Chahal. Chahal saw AB de Villiers off and celebrated the moment of taking the biggest wicket by doing a dab. AB scored 30 off 32 balls. For South Africa, Khaya Zondo scored maximum (54) but could not handle the pressure and edged an easy catch of Chahal's ball in the safe hands of Hardik Pandya. Fall of wickets: 23-1 (Hashim Amla, 6.3), 43-2 (Aiden Markram, 9.5), 105-3 (AB de Villiers, 20.5), 135-4 (Heinrich Klaasen, 30.3), 136-5 (Farhaan Behardien, 31.2), 142-6 (Chris Morris, 33.3), 151-7 (Khaya Zondo, 36.6), 187-8 (Morne Morkel, 43.4), 192-9 (Imran Tahir, 45.4), 204-10 (Andile Phehlukwayo, 46.5) For India, Shardul Thakur came out as star and took four crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10), Farhaan Behardien (1) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) in his spell of 8.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah sends off Heinrich Klaasen (22) and Imran Tahir (2). Hardik Pandya (20) saw off Morne Morkel and Kuldeep Yadav took Chris Morris's (4) wicket. Yuzi out bowled AB de Villiers (30) and Khaya Zondo (54). India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1.

Virat Kohli slams century, inspires team to historic victory

Virat Kohli won the toss and opts to bowl in the sixth ODI match against South Africa at&nbsp;SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday.

South Africa lost early wickets and struggles in the ongoing match. None of the batsmen were effective in front of the Indian bowling attack.

Shradul Thakur shines and took three crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10) and Farhaan Behardien (1).

India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable&nbsp;4-1.

Earlier the Proteas had won the Teat series of the same tour and Indian team faced a volcano of trolls and criticism for not performing&nbsp;up to the mark.

Unsurprisingly, men in blue shut the backbiters by beating the South African side in all departments, be it batting, bowling, fielding and decision making in the ODI series.

The Proteas were also overshadowed by a series of injuries as their stars players like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out amid ODI series.

AB marked his come back in the 4th ODI but remained ineffective as Indian team played brilliantly well throughout the series.

There were few loopholes&nbsp;in the Indian squad as well when opener Rohit Sharma remained&nbsp;out of form in the limited overs format until the last ODI when he slammed a magnificent century and regain&nbsp;the momentum.

The middle&nbsp;batting order is still bit weak and the issue of number four spot has to resolve as soon as possible because Virat is doing a lot of experimentation with spot number four it has to be resolved&nbsp;before World Cup 2019.

The bowlers are doing an amazing job and the highlights of India bowling side&nbsp;are Bhuvi unmatchable seam and the Spin Twins (Kuldeep-Chahal). They have delivered some mesmerizing spell and created records.

Where on one hand, the Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 score, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TeamIndia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TeamIndia</a> Playing XI for the 6th and final ODI. Shardul Thakur comes in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SAvIND</a> <a href="https://t.co/qJuA4HMEXu">pic.twitter.com/qJuA4HMEXu</a>
&mdash; BCCI (@BCCI) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI/status/964447823579131904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Both the teams have not made any changes in the squad only Markram has called back&nbsp;Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien and Imran Tahir.

Squad:

South Africa: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), AB de Villiers, Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi

India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

&nbsp;

The Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 lead, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride

Virat Kohli won the toss and opts to bowl in the sixth ODI match against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion on Friday. South Africa lost early wickets and struggles in the ongoing match. None of the batsmen were effective in front of the Indian bowling attack. Shradul Thakur shines and took three crucial wickets of Aiden Markram (24), Hashim Amla (10) and Farhaan Behardien (1). India has already created history by winning the One Day International series in the South African soil as they lead the series with an unassailable 4-1. Earlier the Proteas had won the Teat series of the same tour and Indian team faced a volcano of trolls and criticism for not performing up to the mark. Unsurprisingly, men in blue shut the backbiters by beating the South African side in all departments, be it batting, bowling, fielding and decision making in the ODI series. The Proteas were also overshadowed by a series of injuries as their stars players like AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock were ruled out amid ODI series. AB marked his come back in the 4th ODI but remained ineffective as Indian team played brilliantly well throughout the series. There were few loopholes in the Indian squad as well when opener Rohit Sharma remained out of form in the limited overs format until the last ODI when he slammed a magnificent century and regain the momentum. The middle batting order is still bit weak and the issue of number four spot has to resolve as soon as possible because Virat is doing a lot of experimentation with spot number four it has to be resolved before World Cup 2019. The bowlers are doing an amazing job and the highlights of India bowling side are Bhuvi unmatchable seam and the Spin Twins (Kuldeep-Chahal). They have delivered some mesmerizing spell and created records. Where on one hand, the Indian team, world number one, will enter with a high to wrap up the series with a 5-1 score, on the other hand, the South African side will be looking to salvage the cricketing pride. #TeamIndia Playing XI for the 6th and final ODI. Shardul Thakur comes in place of Bhuvneshwar Kumar #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/qJuA4HMEXu — BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2018 × Both the teams have not made any changes in the squad only Markram has called back Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien and Imran Tahir. Squad: South Africa: Hashim Amla, Aiden Markram(c), AB de Villiers, Khaya Zondo, Farhaan Behardien, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Chris Morris, Andile Phehlukwayo, Imran Tahir, Morne Morkel, Lungisani Ngidi India: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal

6th ODI IND vs SA: Shardul Thakur strikes thrice, South Africa 148-6 after 36 overs

Indian opener Rohit Sharma returned back to form with a match-winning knock of 115 in the fifth ODI against South Africa on Tuesday, which helped the visitors clinch a historic series win with one game to play.

After that Sharma hit again at his critics within the media in the course of the post-match press briefing.

&ldquo;I got out in three matches only, how can you say form is bad after three matches? You guys put people in good form after one match, and if somebody doesn&rsquo;t have three good matches, you say he is in bad form,&rdquo; Rohit said.

&quot;I admit the first three matches weren&#39;t great but that happens with everybody. But I was in a good frame of mind, I was batting well in the nets and there was no pattern to my dismissals. That happens in every cricketer&#39;s career,&quot; he added.

Rohit stated it was simply not truthful to declare anyone a failure or success on the idea of two or three performances.

Rohit (115) struck a pivotal knock in India&rsquo;s 73-run triumph, which gave the facet an unassailable Four-1 lead within the six-match sequence.

The sixth ODI is scheduled to be held on February 16 in Centurion.&nbsp;

The hundred got here at an important juncture for Rohit, who had drawn flak for his detached run thus far.

(With PTI inputs)&nbsp;

The sixth ODI is scheduled to be held on February 16 in Centurion

Indian opener Rohit Sharma returned back to form with a match-winning knock of 115 in the fifth ODI against South Africa on Tuesday, which helped the visitors clinch a historic series win with one game to play. After that Sharma hit again at his critics within the media in the course of the post-match press briefing. “I got out in three matches only, how can you say form is bad after three matches? You guys put people in good form after one match, and if somebody doesn’t have three good matches, you say he is in bad form,” Rohit said. "I admit the first three matches weren't great but that happens with everybody. But I was in a good frame of mind, I was batting well in the nets and there was no pattern to my dismissals. That happens in every cricketer's career," he added. Rohit stated it was simply not truthful to declare anyone a failure or success on the idea of two or three performances. Rohit (115) struck a pivotal knock in India’s 73-run triumph, which gave the facet an unassailable Four-1 lead within the six-match sequence. The sixth ODI is scheduled to be held on February 16 in Centurion. The hundred got here at an important juncture for Rohit, who had drawn flak for his detached run thus far. (With PTI inputs)

Rohit Sharma hits back at media after match-winning century

It all started with a wedding. A 200 plus entourage of friends and family landed their private aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in April 2013.

What South African&rsquo;s didn&rsquo;t know was that the country had already entered a new era of corruption that was to have a myriad negative consequences. Now, after years of legal obfuscation, political manipulation of &lsquo;captured&rsquo; state institutions and prosecutorial agencies, Cyril Ramaphosa&rsquo;s victory to succeed Jacob Zuma as president of the ruling African National Congress has opened up the possibility that an age of impunity will be replaced with a new era of public accountability.

Since the Gupta&rsquo;s extravagant family wedding at Sun City a slew of revelations have come out. These range from the &ldquo;State of Capture report&rdquo; of the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, to the damning Gupta-leaks uncovered by investigative journalists AmaBhungane. All helped South Africans come to understand the shocking extent of the systemic corruption inextricably linked to the Gupta name.

Despite all these revelations, the country&rsquo;s prosecutorial bodies have remained silent. So when the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed its intention to serve summons on members of the Gupta family and their cronies on January 15 this year ordering them to preserve assets to the tune of R1.6 billion, the first question that sprung to mind was &ldquo;why now&rdquo;?

The answer lies with Ramaphosa&rsquo;s election on a &ldquo;change&rdquo; and &ldquo;reform&rdquo; ticket. His victory in December has shifted the balance of power against the Zuma faction.

A second factor is that the ANC is concerned about its electoral future, with the 2019 national election on the horizon. Zuma has cost the ANC almost 16% of its electoral majority &ndash; some 3 million votes. With opposition parties scrambling to form coalitions, and voting trends suggesting a further decline in the ANC&rsquo;s share of the vote, there is now a very real prospect of the ANC being voted out of power in 2019. An ANC majority is no longer a foregone conclusion &ndash; unthinkable until recently.

It seems denial in the ANC has been replaced by a sense of fear. The party is trying to show the voting public that it can clear up the mess that it has made.

Chickens come home to roost

The NPA&rsquo;s announcement suggests that the chickens seem finally to be on their way home to roost on the <a href="https://www.iol.co.za/business-report/swift-sale-of-gupta-family-empire-in-south-africa-raises-eyebrows-10955847">Gupta empire</a>. The NPA&rsquo;s Asset Forfeiture Unit has applied to the High Court for an order that the Gupta&rsquo;s must &ldquo;preserve&rdquo; R1.6 billion worth of assets. This power is granted under Section 38 of the <a href="https://www.gov.za/sites/www.gov.za/files/a121-98.pdf">Prevention of Organised Crime Act</a>. The provision empowers the NPA to make an ex parte application to the High Court to

<blockquote>
prohibit any person&hellip; from dealing in any manner with any property.
</blockquote>

The court must grant the order if there are reasonable grounds to believe that property is the &ldquo;instrumentality of an offence&rdquo; or &ldquo;is the proceeds of unlawful activities&rdquo;. This must be read in light of the rest of the Act which allows the state to confiscate property that is the proceeds of unlawful activities.

The rationale of the preservation order is, therefore, to prevent such a person or suspect from disposing of assets that are proceeds from unlawful activities which would render a confiscation order fruitless.

An analysis of the act makes it clear that, if a preservation order is requested, the intention of the NPA must be to arrest and charge the Guptas and their associates. A preservation order could only be made if a confiscation order is ultimately envisaged. In turn, a confiscation order can only be made after a criminal conviction.

The logical conclusion is that the NPA, assuming that they are acting in good faith, are intent on arresting and prosecuting the Guptas.

Dilemma facing Ramaphosa and the ANC

The problem for the ANC is this: if its intention is to make the Guptas the sole-scapegoats in the state-capture saga, they will be in a good deal of trouble. Of the published Gupta scandals, the evidence strongly suggests that they were not acting alone. The Guptas themselves may represent only the tip of the iceberg.

Top government officials are reported to have been involved in almost all instances.

For example, Mining Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, is heavily implicated in the Sun City wedding affair, while whistle-blowers Mcebisi Jonas and Vytjie Mentor implicate Zuma as a participant in the Guptas offering them (for undue reward) the positions of ministerial positions.

Zuma&rsquo;s son, Duduzane, is also heavily implicated in corrupt activities related to the state power utility Eskom, as well as the finance minister debacle.

The NPA will struggle to prove its case against the Guptas, at least the full extent of it, without implicating those that drove or condoned their misdemeanours. It seems clear therefore that the ANC cannot restore its reputation while letting its leaders who looted the country&rsquo;s resources drift off into the wilderness.

This presents Ramaphosa with an acute political dilemma given that he&rsquo;s pledged to rebuild unity in the ANC.

Hence, we are likely to see a very high level and multifaceted blame game. But any attempt to restore its credibility will probably prove counter productive unless the party accepts that some of its biggest fish must be prosecuted too.

And it goes without saying that private sector players such as Trillian and KPMG who were willing enablers of the abuse of state procurement processes must also be held to account. If necessary they must pay the ultimate price of corporate collapse as Bell Pottinger did.

Just the beginning

The NPA&rsquo;s announcement represents no more than a good start after years of prosecutorial negligence and incompetence &ndash; or dishonesty &ndash; and costly inaction.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90395/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />In terms of accountability it&rsquo;s indeed time to catch up and restore the legitimacy of important institutions. But the stakes are very high &ndash; for the implicated politicians and their business cronies, for Ramaphosa and the ANC&rsquo;s electoral future, and for the credibility of South Africa as a trustworthy destination for much needed investment.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-the-net-about-to-close-on-zuma-and-his-gupta-patronage-network-90395" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; &nbsp;

Of the published Gupta scandals, the evidence strongly suggests that they were not acting alone. The Guptas themselves may represent only the tip of the iceberg.

It all started with a wedding. A 200 plus entourage of friends and family landed their private aircraft at the Waterkloof Air Force Base in April 2013. What South African’s didn’t know was that the country had already entered a new era of corruption that was to have a myriad negative consequences. Now, after years of legal obfuscation, political manipulation of ‘captured’ state institutions and prosecutorial agencies, Cyril Ramaphosa’s victory to succeed Jacob Zuma as president of the ruling African National Congress has opened up the possibility that an age of impunity will be replaced with a new era of public accountability. Since the Gupta’s extravagant family wedding at Sun City a slew of revelations have come out. These range from the “State of Capture report” of the former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, to the damning Gupta-leaks uncovered by investigative journalists AmaBhungane. All helped South Africans come to understand the shocking extent of the systemic corruption inextricably linked to the Gupta name. Despite all these revelations, the country’s prosecutorial bodies have remained silent. So when the Asset Forfeiture Unit of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed its intention to serve summons on members of the Gupta family and their cronies on January 15 this year ordering them to preserve assets to the tune of R1.6 billion, the first question that sprung to mind was “why now”? The answer lies with Ramaphosa’s election on a “change” and “reform” ticket. His victory in December has shifted the balance of power against the Zuma faction. A second factor is that the ANC is concerned about its electoral future, with the 2019 national election on the horizon. Zuma has cost the ANC almost 16% of its electoral majority – some 3 million votes. With opposition parties scrambling to form coalitions, and voting trends suggesting a further decline in the ANC’s share of the vote, there is now a very real prospect of the ANC being voted out of power in 2019. An ANC majority is no longer a foregone conclusion – unthinkable until recently. It seems denial in the ANC has been replaced by a sense of fear. The party is trying to show the voting public that it can clear up the mess that it has made. Chickens come home to roost The NPA’s announcement suggests that the chickens seem finally to be on their way home to roost on the Gupta empire. The NPA’s Asset Forfeiture Unit has applied to the High Court for an order that the Gupta’s must “preserve” R1.6 billion worth of assets. This power is granted under Section 38 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act. The provision empowers the NPA to make an ex parte application to the High Court to prohibit any person… from dealing in any manner with any property. The court must grant the order if there are reasonable grounds to believe that property is the “instrumentality of an offence” or “is the proceeds of unlawful activities”. This must be read in light of the rest of the Act which allows the state to confiscate property that is the proceeds of unlawful activities. The rationale of the preservation order is, therefore, to prevent such a person or suspect from disposing of assets that are proceeds from unlawful activities which would render a confiscation order fruitless. An analysis of the act makes it clear that, if a preservation order is requested, the intention of the NPA must be to arrest and charge the Guptas and their associates. A preservation order could only be made if a confiscation order is ultimately envisaged. In turn, a confiscation order can only be made after a criminal conviction. The logical conclusion is that the NPA, assuming that they are acting in good faith, are intent on arresting and prosecuting the Guptas. Dilemma facing Ramaphosa and the ANC The problem for the ANC is this: if its intention is to make the Guptas the sole-scapegoats in the state-capture saga, they will be in a good deal of trouble. Of the published Gupta scandals, the evidence strongly suggests that they were not acting alone. The Guptas themselves may represent only the tip of the iceberg. Top government officials are reported to have been involved in almost all instances. For example, Mining Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, is heavily implicated in the Sun City wedding affair, while whistle-blowers Mcebisi Jonas and Vytjie Mentor implicate Zuma as a participant in the Guptas offering them (for undue reward) the positions of ministerial positions. Zuma’s son, Duduzane, is also heavily implicated in corrupt activities related to the state power utility Eskom, as well as the finance minister debacle. The NPA will struggle to prove its case against the Guptas, at least the full extent of it, without implicating those that drove or condoned their misdemeanours. It seems clear therefore that the ANC cannot restore its reputation while letting its leaders who looted the country’s resources drift off into the wilderness. This presents Ramaphosa with an acute political dilemma given that he’s pledged to rebuild unity in the ANC. Hence, we are likely to see a very high level and multifaceted blame game. But any attempt to restore its credibility will probably prove counter productive unless the party accepts that some of its biggest fish must be prosecuted too. And it goes without saying that private sector players such as Trillian and KPMG who were willing enablers of the abuse of state procurement processes must also be held to account. If necessary they must pay the ultimate price of corporate collapse as Bell Pottinger did. Just the beginning The NPA’s announcement represents no more than a good start after years of prosecutorial negligence and incompetence – or dishonesty – and costly inaction. In terms of accountability it’s indeed time to catch up and restore the legitimacy of important institutions. But the stakes are very high – for the implicated politicians and their business cronies, for Ramaphosa and the ANC’s electoral future, and for the credibility of South Africa as a trustworthy destination for much needed investment. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: How Gupta brothers build up an empire of corruption

The Zuma years are over. He kept fighting almost to the very end. But South Africa&rsquo;s scandal-ridden President Jacob Zuma finally accepted the inevitability of his political fate late last night when he resigned with immediate effect. By doing so he cut short his second and final term as president of Africa&rsquo;s largest economy with over a year still to run.

Even then he toyed with his audience. In a 30-minute address that began close to 10.30pm local time, Zuma appeared to be veering towards requiring the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to use its majority in parliament to remove him by way of a no confidence motion.

With an ardent defence of the constitution &ndash; ironic given the many findings of constitutional transgression made by the courts in recent years against him &ndash; Zuma argued that the most appropriate way for a president to be removed from office would be by one of the two constitutional mechanisms &ndash; a vote of no confidence pursuant to section 102 or impeachment under section 89 &ndash; rather than by his party.

But the implication that to bend to his party&rsquo;s will would represent a subjugation of the will of the people was a typical example of Zuma&rsquo;s misrepresentation or misunderstanding of South Africa&rsquo;s system of government. While the head of government is the president, the system is essentially a parliamentary one, The president is elected by parliament and not directly by the electorate.

So this was not regime change as Zuma implied. It was a palace coup, very similar to the one Zuma had overseen when Thabo Mbeki was removed from office ten years ago in September 2008.

Last throw of the dice

At the start of a dramatic week in South African politics, on Monday the ANC&rsquo;s National Executive Committee concluded a marathon 13-hour meeting by deciding that Zuma should be &ldquo;recalled&rdquo; and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa was Zuma&rsquo;s deputy in government after winning a closely-contested race to succeed him as ANC president at the party&rsquo;s five-yearly national elective conference in December.

A former trade union leader and, later a successful businessman, Ramaphosa won on a &lsquo;change&rsquo; agenda. He promised to end the culture of impunity that has been the hallmark of the Zuma years and to arrest the self-enrichment project of &ldquo;state capture&rdquo;. This has seen key state institutions, such as the SA Revenue Service and PRASA, hollowed out, causing great harm to the interests of millions of the most vulnerable citizens.

Earlier in the day Zuma had waged war against his own party when in an exclusive interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation he defied the ANC&rsquo;s leadership, claiming that he had not done anything wrong. He also claimed that the party had failed to specify the reason for its decision to recall him.

At one point in the interview Zuma appeared to be threatening instability in the organisation that he has served his whole life &ndash; a last roll of the dice for a fearless politician for whom the usual rules of political engagement never seemed to apply.

But Ramaphosa did not blink and preparations for the vote of no confidence continued. Zuma calculated that the game was up and fell, finally, on his sword.

Under the country&rsquo;s constitution, the deputy president of the country Ramaphosa takes over as interim president immediately. The National Assembly is nevertheless likely to be convened shortly to elect a new president. This will enable Ramaphosa to deliver the State of the Nation Address that was postponed last week.

Victory for the rule of law

Given the history and context of post-colonial Africa in which numerous heads of state have clung onto power for decades, yesterday&rsquo;s turn of events could be seen as a victory for South Africa&rsquo;s democracy. It has proved to be resilient in the face of the Zuma-enabled project of state capture.

The rule of law and an independent judiciary has held firm despite the pressures of an unrelenting line of politically-charged cases. Along with opposition parties, civil society organisations, such as Section 27 and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, have used the constitution to challenge Zuma.

Now Zuma, along with Gupta family and many others &ndash; including several members of the current cabinet &ndash; must face the prospect of being held to account. The process is already underway. Yesterday began with the startling news that one of the Gupta brothers had been arrested and the family&rsquo;s compound in Saxonwold, Johannesburg had been searched.

And a judicial inquiry into the involvement of the Guptas in state capture will soon commence. This will include their relationship to both cabinet ministers and the leadership of certain key state owned enterprises, such as beleaguered energy utility Eskom.

And one of Ramaphosa&rsquo;s first appointments will be a new national director of public prosecutions. The courts have already ruled that they must proceed with the prosecution of the 783 corruption charges that were unlawfully dropped against Zuma just before he first became president in April 2009.

Whether Zuma is convicted and imprisoned remains to be seen. But his early ousting from power is a salutary lesson. Those implicated in the corruption that has increasingly undermined investor confidence in South Africa in recent years will be quaking in their boots.

The winds of change are blowing through the corridors of power.

Ramaphosa&rsquo;s big challenges

Having dealt with the unavoidably messy and awkward business of removing a sitting head of state, Ramaphosa can turn to the even bigger and important challenges that face the country. These include a fiscal crunch with tough public expenditure choices to be wrestled with in next week&rsquo;s budget. These include high unemployment and inequality; and rebuilding integrity in state institutions and agencies.

With Zuma out of the way, Ramaphosa can expedite his pursuit of a socio-economic &ldquo;new deal&rdquo; unencumbered by Zuma&rsquo;s obstructive tendencies and personal interests. These have included a rumoured deal with President Vladimir Putin to purchase nuclear power plants from Russia.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91910/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />Ramaphosa, and South Africa, now have a clear run at addressing the many urgent problems that have hindered economic growth and confidence in recent years. They have given themselves an opportunity to rebuild the lost social compact of the Mandela years. And recover from the draining swamp of Zuma&rsquo;s rule.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/zuma-finally-falls-on-his-sword-but-not-before-threatening-to-take-the-house-down-with-him-91910" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp; &nbsp;

&nbsp;

Now Zuma, along with Gupta family and many others – including several members of the current cabinet – must face the prospect of being held to account.

The Zuma years are over. He kept fighting almost to the very end. But South Africa’s scandal-ridden President Jacob Zuma finally accepted the inevitability of his political fate late last night when he resigned with immediate effect. By doing so he cut short his second and final term as president of Africa’s largest economy with over a year still to run. Even then he toyed with his audience. In a 30-minute address that began close to 10.30pm local time, Zuma appeared to be veering towards requiring the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to use its majority in parliament to remove him by way of a no confidence motion. With an ardent defence of the constitution – ironic given the many findings of constitutional transgression made by the courts in recent years against him – Zuma argued that the most appropriate way for a president to be removed from office would be by one of the two constitutional mechanisms – a vote of no confidence pursuant to section 102 or impeachment under section 89 – rather than by his party. But the implication that to bend to his party’s will would represent a subjugation of the will of the people was a typical example of Zuma’s misrepresentation or misunderstanding of South Africa’s system of government. While the head of government is the president, the system is essentially a parliamentary one, The president is elected by parliament and not directly by the electorate. So this was not regime change as Zuma implied. It was a palace coup, very similar to the one Zuma had overseen when Thabo Mbeki was removed from office ten years ago in September 2008. Last throw of the dice At the start of a dramatic week in South African politics, on Monday the ANC’s National Executive Committee concluded a marathon 13-hour meeting by deciding that Zuma should be “recalled” and replaced by Cyril Ramaphosa. Ramaphosa was Zuma’s deputy in government after winning a closely-contested race to succeed him as ANC president at the party’s five-yearly national elective conference in December. A former trade union leader and, later a successful businessman, Ramaphosa won on a ‘change’ agenda. He promised to end the culture of impunity that has been the hallmark of the Zuma years and to arrest the self-enrichment project of “state capture”. This has seen key state institutions, such as the SA Revenue Service and PRASA, hollowed out, causing great harm to the interests of millions of the most vulnerable citizens. Earlier in the day Zuma had waged war against his own party when in an exclusive interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation he defied the ANC’s leadership, claiming that he had not done anything wrong. He also claimed that the party had failed to specify the reason for its decision to recall him. At one point in the interview Zuma appeared to be threatening instability in the organisation that he has served his whole life – a last roll of the dice for a fearless politician for whom the usual rules of political engagement never seemed to apply. But Ramaphosa did not blink and preparations for the vote of no confidence continued. Zuma calculated that the game was up and fell, finally, on his sword. Under the country’s constitution, the deputy president of the country Ramaphosa takes over as interim president immediately. The National Assembly is nevertheless likely to be convened shortly to elect a new president. This will enable Ramaphosa to deliver the State of the Nation Address that was postponed last week. Victory for the rule of law Given the history and context of post-colonial Africa in which numerous heads of state have clung onto power for decades, yesterday’s turn of events could be seen as a victory for South Africa’s democracy. It has proved to be resilient in the face of the Zuma-enabled project of state capture. The rule of law and an independent judiciary has held firm despite the pressures of an unrelenting line of politically-charged cases. Along with opposition parties, civil society organisations, such as Section 27 and the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution, have used the constitution to challenge Zuma. Now Zuma, along with Gupta family and many others – including several members of the current cabinet – must face the prospect of being held to account. The process is already underway. Yesterday began with the startling news that one of the Gupta brothers had been arrested and the family’s compound in Saxonwold, Johannesburg had been searched. And a judicial inquiry into the involvement of the Guptas in state capture will soon commence. This will include their relationship to both cabinet ministers and the leadership of certain key state owned enterprises, such as beleaguered energy utility Eskom. And one of Ramaphosa’s first appointments will be a new national director of public prosecutions. The courts have already ruled that they must proceed with the prosecution of the 783 corruption charges that were unlawfully dropped against Zuma just before he first became president in April 2009. Whether Zuma is convicted and imprisoned remains to be seen. But his early ousting from power is a salutary lesson. Those implicated in the corruption that has increasingly undermined investor confidence in South Africa in recent years will be quaking in their boots. The winds of change are blowing through the corridors of power. Ramaphosa’s big challenges Having dealt with the unavoidably messy and awkward business of removing a sitting head of state, Ramaphosa can turn to the even bigger and important challenges that face the country. These include a fiscal crunch with tough public expenditure choices to be wrestled with in next week’s budget. These include high unemployment and inequality; and rebuilding integrity in state institutions and agencies. With Zuma out of the way, Ramaphosa can expedite his pursuit of a socio-economic “new deal” unencumbered by Zuma’s obstructive tendencies and personal interests. These have included a rumoured deal with President Vladimir Putin to purchase nuclear power plants from Russia. Ramaphosa, and South Africa, now have a clear run at addressing the many urgent problems that have hindered economic growth and confidence in recent years. They have given themselves an opportunity to rebuild the lost social compact of the Mandela years. And recover from the draining swamp of Zuma’s rule. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: South Africa sees the end of President Jacob Zuma and Gupta brothers' tyranny

Jacob Zuma resigned as South African president late on Wednesday, under pressure from allies of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December.

The 75-year-old&#39;s resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule.

Below are some of the main scandals involving Zuma. Some date from before he became president in 2009.

ARMS DEAL 
Zuma is still fighting 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president.&nbsp; 
The charges were set aside in 2009, paving the way for Zuma to run for president, but were re-instated in 2016 by the Supreme Court.

RAPE ACCUSATION 
While deputy president of the ANC, Zuma was charged with raping Fezekile &quot;Khwezi&quot; Kuzwayo, the HIV-positive daughter of a friend who had been imprisoned on Robben Island with Zuma during the apartheid era. 
Zuma was acquitted in 2006 but was ridiculed after saying he had showered after sex to reduce the risk of contracting HIV.

NKANDLA UPGRADES 
Soon after becoming president, it emerged that millions of dollars of public money had been spent on upgrades to Zuma`s Nkandla home, including a swimming pool that one minister justified as a fire-fighting resource. 
Zuma weathered a no-confidence vote in parliament over the upgrades and paid back more than $500,000 after unsuccessfully trying to argue his case in the Constitutional Court.

SONONO KHOZA 
Zuma apologised to South Africans in 2010 after fathering a child out of wedlock with his friend Irvin Khoza`s daughter, Sonono Khoza.&nbsp; 
Zuma, a polygamist, had promised the ANC`s leadership he would not engage in extramarital sex after the Khwezi episode.

CLEVER BLACKS 
Zuma caused controversy in 2012 for scolding black people &quot;who become too clever&quot; in an address to South Africa`s National House of Traditional Leaders, saying &quot;they become the most eloquent in criticising themselves about their own traditions&quot;.&nbsp; 
Zuma, who received no formal schooling, has a loyal following in rural areas but has tended to receive less support in urban areas where education levels are higher.

WATERKLOOF LANDING 
Zuma`s friends, the Gupta brothers, used the top-security Waterkloof air base to fly in 200 wedding guests from India for a family member`s wedding in 2013, sparking a public outcry.&nbsp; 
The ANC called the landing reckless and a breach of national security.

NENEGATE 
Zuma fired finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015, replacing him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen. Zuma was forced to sack van Rooyen and re-appoint a previous finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, four days later after the rand currency collapsed.

ELECTORAL DEBACLE 
The ANC lost its grip on local government in three metropolitan areas in 2016, the ruling party`s worst election result since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Unemployment, economic stagnation and scandals around Zuma were among reasons the ANC lost voter support.

&quot;STATE CAPTURE&quot; 
In 2016, the Public Protector, South Africa`s main anti-corruption watchdog, published a report entitled &quot;State of Capture&quot; alleging the Guptas had tried to influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and were unlawfully awarded state tenders.

Central to the report was the claim by then-deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that Zuma`s son Duduzane invited him to the Gupta family home where he was offered the job of finance minister and a bribe of 600 million rand.

The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. The Public Protector recommended a judicial enquiry be set up to investigate grand-level corruption involving Zuma and the Guptas.

MIDNIGHT RESHUFFLE 
Zuma fired Gordhan as finance minister and Jonas as deputy finance minister in a midnight reshuffle in March 2017. South African financial markets plummeted, with senior ANC officials expressing anger at the lack of consultation.

The 75-year-old's resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule

Jacob Zuma resigned as South African president late on Wednesday, under pressure from allies of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) in December. The 75-year-old's resignation caps the end of a tumultuous decade in which Zuma has survived several no-confidence votes in parliament, a string of corruption allegations and street protests against his rule. Below are some of the main scandals involving Zuma. Some date from before he became president in 2009. ARMS DEAL Zuma is still fighting 783 counts of corruption over a 30 billion rand (now $2.5 billion) government arms deal arranged in the late 1990s when he was deputy president. The charges were set aside in 2009, paving the way for Zuma to run for president, but were re-instated in 2016 by the Supreme Court. RAPE ACCUSATION While deputy president of the ANC, Zuma was charged with raping Fezekile "Khwezi" Kuzwayo, the HIV-positive daughter of a friend who had been imprisoned on Robben Island with Zuma during the apartheid era. Zuma was acquitted in 2006 but was ridiculed after saying he had showered after sex to reduce the risk of contracting HIV. NKANDLA UPGRADES Soon after becoming president, it emerged that millions of dollars of public money had been spent on upgrades to Zuma`s Nkandla home, including a swimming pool that one minister justified as a fire-fighting resource. Zuma weathered a no-confidence vote in parliament over the upgrades and paid back more than $500,000 after unsuccessfully trying to argue his case in the Constitutional Court. SONONO KHOZA Zuma apologised to South Africans in 2010 after fathering a child out of wedlock with his friend Irvin Khoza`s daughter, Sonono Khoza. Zuma, a polygamist, had promised the ANC`s leadership he would not engage in extramarital sex after the Khwezi episode. CLEVER BLACKS Zuma caused controversy in 2012 for scolding black people "who become too clever" in an address to South Africa`s National House of Traditional Leaders, saying "they become the most eloquent in criticising themselves about their own traditions". Zuma, who received no formal schooling, has a loyal following in rural areas but has tended to receive less support in urban areas where education levels are higher. WATERKLOOF LANDING Zuma`s friends, the Gupta brothers, used the top-security Waterkloof air base to fly in 200 wedding guests from India for a family member`s wedding in 2013, sparking a public outcry. The ANC called the landing reckless and a breach of national security. NENEGATE Zuma fired finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015, replacing him with unknown parliamentary backbencher Des van Rooyen. Zuma was forced to sack van Rooyen and re-appoint a previous finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, four days later after the rand currency collapsed. ELECTORAL DEBACLE The ANC lost its grip on local government in three metropolitan areas in 2016, the ruling party`s worst election result since the end of white minority rule in 1994. Unemployment, economic stagnation and scandals around Zuma were among reasons the ANC lost voter support. "STATE CAPTURE" In 2016, the Public Protector, South Africa`s main anti-corruption watchdog, published a report entitled "State of Capture" alleging the Guptas had tried to influence the appointment of cabinet ministers and were unlawfully awarded state tenders. Central to the report was the claim by then-deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas that Zuma`s son Duduzane invited him to the Gupta family home where he was offered the job of finance minister and a bribe of 600 million rand. The Guptas and Zuma have denied any wrongdoing. The Public Protector recommended a judicial enquiry be set up to investigate grand-level corruption involving Zuma and the Guptas. MIDNIGHT RESHUFFLE Zuma fired Gordhan as finance minister and Jonas as deputy finance minister in a midnight reshuffle in March 2017. South African financial markets plummeted, with senior ANC officials expressing anger at the lack of consultation.

South Africa's divisive president: Zuma's many scandals

As President Zuma <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/zuma-resigns-as-president-of-south-africa-32912">stepped down from office in South Africa</a> throwing the ruling African National Congress(ANC) in crisis, the Gupta family from India has become the focus of attention.

The politically <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/south-african-police-raid-home-of-guptas-friends-of-president-zuma-32846">connected Gupta brothers - Ajay, Atul and Rajesh</a> - were reportedly in India at Saharanpur attending a family function even as authorities in South Africa were conducting raids in their luxury&nbsp;home in Johannesburg.

Police also raided the Guptas&#39; Oakbay holding company in Johannesburg&#39;s Sandton financial district.

Atul Gupta landed in South Africa in 1993, a year before ANC chief Nelson Mandela was freed from jail. 
&nbsp; &nbsp; 
The Gupta brothers made most of the opportunities as South Africa opened up to the world as apartheid became a thing of the past.

The Guptas from Uttar Pradesh built companies spanning computers, mining, media, technology and engineering and developed contacts with the ANC.

In recent years, as the Guptas became rich and famous, the media increasingly focussed on them with reports of Zuma&#39;s son Duduzane being made the director of the Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and his involvement in several other family companies.

Zuma&#39;s third wife Bongi Ngema and one of his daughters also have reportedly been employed by the Guptas.

South Africa&#39;s ethics watchdog, the Public Protector, published a damning report in October 2016, finding that the state-owned electricity monopoly had awarded a massive coal order to a then-Gupta linked business at well above market prices, according to AFP

The report also alleged that former mining minister Zwane travelled to Switzerland with the Guptas to help them &quot;seal the deal&quot; to buy a coal mine.

The Gupta family has reportedly been mentioned 232 times in the report &quot;State of Capture&quot; because of its influence in South Africa.

The family may now face government&nbsp;inquiry into their business dealings with potentially devasting consequences which could also hit several companies which employ&nbsp;hundreds of people in South Africa.

The Gupta brothers made most of the opportunities as South Africa opened up to the world as apartheid became a thing of the past.

As President Zuma stepped down from office in South Africa throwing the ruling African National Congress(ANC) in crisis, the Gupta family from India has become the focus of attention. The politically connected Gupta brothers - Ajay, Atul and Rajesh - were reportedly in India at Saharanpur attending a family function even as authorities in South Africa were conducting raids in their luxury home in Johannesburg. Police also raided the Guptas' Oakbay holding company in Johannesburg's Sandton financial district. Atul Gupta landed in South Africa in 1993, a year before ANC chief Nelson Mandela was freed from jail. The Gupta brothers made most of the opportunities as South Africa opened up to the world as apartheid became a thing of the past. The Guptas from Uttar Pradesh built companies spanning computers, mining, media, technology and engineering and developed contacts with the ANC. In recent years, as the Guptas became rich and famous, the media increasingly focussed on them with reports of Zuma's son Duduzane being made the director of the Gupta-owned Sahara Computers, named after their hometown of Saharanpur, and his involvement in several other family companies. Zuma's third wife Bongi Ngema and one of his daughters also have reportedly been employed by the Guptas. South Africa's ethics watchdog, the Public Protector, published a damning report in October 2016, finding that the state-owned electricity monopoly had awarded a massive coal order to a then-Gupta linked business at well above market prices, according to AFP The report also alleged that former mining minister Zwane travelled to Switzerland with the Guptas to help them "seal the deal" to buy a coal mine. The Gupta family has reportedly been mentioned 232 times in the report "State of Capture" because of its influence in South Africa. The family may now face government inquiry into their business dealings with potentially devasting consequences which could also hit several companies which employ hundreds of people in South Africa.

Zuma downfall: How Gupta brothers became a powerhouse in South Africa

south-africa

South Africa, News on South Africa, stories on South Africa, articles on South Africa, South Africa stories at Wion, South Africa news, South Africa latest news

south africa