PAARL: Quinton de Kock won a stroke-filled battle with rival wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant as South Africa clinched their One-day International series against India at Boland Park in Paarl on Friday.
South Africa chased down India´s 287 for six and won the second match in the three-game series with 11 balls to spare.
De Kock was named man of the match after scoring 78 runs off 66 balls and pulling off a spectacular leg side stumping, trumping Pant, who made a hard-hit 85 but missed a crucial stumping chance offered by De Kock.
"It´s great to have Quinny back," said South African captain Temba Bavuma. "He reminded us again why he is such a valuable player."
De Kock, who announced a shock retirement from Test cricket after the first Test against India last month, was back to his best after taking paternity leave to be with his wife for the recent birth of a baby daughter.
He was in sparkling form as he and Janneman Malan put on 132 for the first wicket in just 22 overs.
De Kock raced to a half-century off 36 balls in an innings comprising seven fours and three sixes, before he missed a full toss and was leg before wicket to Shardul Thakur.
But he was lucky when he was on 32 when he went down the wicket to a delivery from off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin which went past his bat and eluded Pant, who had an opportunity to make a straightforward stumping.
Malan provided solid support for De Kock and went on to make 91 before he was bowled by a Jasprit Bumrah off-cutter which lifted off a length and deflected into the stumps off the batsman´s elbow.
Score Board
India won the toss
India Innings
Rahul (c) c Dussen b Magala 55
Dhawan c Magala b Markram 29
Kohli c Bavuma b Maharaj 0
Pant† c Markram b Shamsi 85
Iyer lbw b Shamsi 11
Venkatesh st †de Kock b Phehlukwayo 22
Thakur not out 40
Ashwin not out 25
Extras: (lb 1, nb 2, w 17) 20
Total: (50 Ov, RR: 5.74) 287/6
Did not bat: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Fall: 1-63, 11.4 ov 2-64, 12.4 ov 3-179, 31.1 ov 4-183, 32.3 ov 5-207, 36.5 ov 6-239, 43.5 ov
Bowling: Lungi Ngidi 8-0-35-0 Sisanda Magala 8-0-64-1 Aiden Markram 8-0-34-1 Keshav Maharaj 9-0-52-1 Andile Phehlukwayo 8-0-44-1 Tabraiz Shamsi 9-0-57-2
South Africal Innings (Target: 288 Runs)
Malan b Bumrah 91
Kock† lbw b Thakur 78
Bavuma (c) c & b Chahal 35
Markram not out 37
Dussen not out 37
Extras: (b 4, lb 1, w 5) 10
Total: (48.1 Ov, RR: 5.97) 288/3
Did not bat: David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi
Fall: 1-132, 21.6 ov 2-212, 34.4 ov 3-214, 35.4 ov
Bowling: Jasprit Bumrah 10-0-37-1 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 8-0-67-0 Ravichandran Ashwin 10-1-68-0 Yuzvendra Chahal 10-0-47-1 Shardul Thakur 5-0-35-1 Venkatesh Iyer 5-0-28-0 Shreyas Iyer 0.1-0-1-0
Result: South Africa won by 7 wickets (with 11 balls remaining)
Man of the match: Quinton de Kock (SA)
Umpires: Adrian Holdstock, Marais Erasmus