The third ODI match between India and South Africa is not only the deciding match of the series but can also prove to be another historic day for Virat Kohli. This match to be held at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam is giving Kohli an opportunity to score three consecutive centuries in ODI cricket, which only a few batsmen have achieved so far.

Kohli’s form was excellent in the series

Virat Kohli’s bat performed very well in the first two matches of this series. First in Raipur and then in Ranchi he scored brilliant centuries. In both the matches, the way Kohli started attacking from the initial balls itself, it showed that this star batsman is once again reminding us of the golden phase of his career.

In such a situation, all eyes will be on his innings in the third ODI also. If Kohli scores a century here too, he will again join the elite club of scoring three consecutive centuries in ODIs.

Have done hat-trick of centuries before also

Kohli has done this feat before also. In the year 2018, in the home series against West Indies, he scored three consecutive centuries in Guwahati (140), Visakhapatnam (157*) and Pune (107). He was the first player to do this for India. Later, Rohit Sharma also repeated this feat by scoring three consecutive centuries in the 2019 World Cup.

Who has achieved this rare feat?

It has been very rare to score three consecutive centuries in the history of ODI cricket. Till now only 13 players have been able to achieve this feat.

• It was started by Zaheer Abbas of Pakistan in 1982-83. He had done this feat against India.
• The record for the longest series of centuries is held by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka. He created history by scoring four consecutive centuries in the 2015 World Cup.
• South African player Quinton de Kock has also made a place in this list. De Kock had scored three consecutive centuries against India in 2013.

In this context, if Kohli scores a century in Visakhapatnam, he will join the very rare players who have been named in this list twice.

Kohli is the key to India’s victory

The thing to note is that whenever Kohli scores a century, India’s chances of winning the match increase by 83%. In such a situation, Kohli’s innings in the decisive match will be very important for the Indian team. The series is currently tied at 1-1 and to avoid defeat on home ground, a big innings will be expected from India’s star batsman.

IND vs SA 3rd ODI: Visakhapatnam is buzzing with the name of Virat Kohli these days. The three-match ODI series between India and South Africa is to be decided here. As the match day is approaching, Kohli-mania has reached its peak in the city. The situation has become such that now there is panic for those tickets for which buyers were not found earlier.

Huge craze! Vacant tickets SOLD OUT within minutes

When Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) put the tickets for the third ODI on online sale on November 28, there was a very slow response. The officials had thought that perhaps this time there would be less crowd in the match, so much so that they were preparing to open physical counters.

But after Virat Kohli scored two consecutive centuries in Ranchi and Raipur, the whole atmosphere changed. ACA media and operations team member Y Venkatesh told The Indian Express that after Kohli’s century, the second and third phase of tickets got filled within minutes. The demand for tickets which no one was buying earlier has suddenly increased manifold.

Kohli-mania seen even at the airport

The excitement before the match was not limited to online booking only. Even before Team India reached Visakhapatnam, a large number of people gathered at the airport. Despite the flight delay, fans kept waiting for hours. As soon as Virat and the other players came out, the airport echoed with applause and noise.

An even more interesting scene was seen at Raipur Airport. Passengers upset with the delay were confronting the airline, but as soon as they saw Team India, the atmosphere became completely calm and pleasant. Seeing Virat coming down the escalator, people took out their mobile cameras and excitement was seen everywhere.

Series finale and fans’ expectations

Now all eyes are on the third and final ODI to be held on 6 December. The biggest hope of the fans is that Virat Kohli scores a century in the third match also and Team India wins the series.

IND vs SA: The third and decisive match of the ODI series between India and South Africa will be played on 6 December in Visakhapatnam. After the defeat in Raipur, this match is no less than ‘do or die’ for Team India. The series is currently tied at 1-1 and both the teams would like to capture the title with a win. The biggest attraction of this match will once again be Virat Kohli, who has presented a brilliant example of his rhythm and class by scoring centuries in the first two ODIs.

Kohli’s golden record in Visakhapatnam

Virat Kohli has played 7 matches so far in his ODI career in Visakhapatnam, in which he has scored 587 runs at an excellent average of 97.83. Here he has 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries in his name. Not only this, once he also played an unlucky inning of 99 runs on this ground. His highest score on this ground is 157 not out, which shows that Visakhapatnam is one of Kohli’s favorite grounds. Although he could not score any runs in one match, but on most of the occasions he has completely dominated here.

Second hat-trick of centuries will be scored

Kohli has made a tremendous start in the series by scoring centuries in the first two matches played in Ranchi and Raipur. If he scores a century in Visakhapatnam also, it will be the second century hat-trick of his career. Earlier in 2018, he had scored centuries in three consecutive ODIs against West Indies – in Guwahati, Visakhapatnam and Pune. Now once again he has a chance to create history.

At present, Babar Azam is the only player in ODI cricket who has achieved the feat of scoring three consecutive centuries twice. Kohli has a great chance to be included in this list.

Kohli’s new look visible in the series

Virat Kohli’s batting style looks quite aggressive in this series against South Africa. Whereas earlier he used to focus on setting the innings in the beginning, now he is trying to put pressure on the bowlers as soon as he comes in. In the first match, he hit two sixes in the first 20 balls. In Raipur he also opened his account with a six. This clearly shows that Kohli is full of confidence and is at the peak of his form.

Will Virat shine again in Visakhapatnam?

Team India needs victory in the third ODI and the tremendous form Kohli is in has increased the expectations even more. Visakhapatnam has always been lucky for Kohli and now all eyes are on him.

IND vs SA: In the second ODI played in Raipur, Team India had to face defeat despite making a big score of 359 runs. Heavy dew and wet ball increased the problems for the Indian bowlers, but the biggest debate was about the slow batting of Ravindra Jadeja. Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan raised direct questions on Jadeja’s ‘intent’ and said that his innings pushed India back.

Where did Jadeja go?

Team India had made a great start to its innings. Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad played balanced batting and scored centuries and gave a steady start to India. In the end, captain KL Rahul also played a stormy innings of unbeaten 66 runs in just 43 balls, taking India’s score beyond 350. After that, Jadeja, who came to bat, scored only 24 unbeaten runs in 27 balls.

Irfan Pathan’s statement

Irfan Pathan looked a bit angry about Jadeja’s slow innings. Irfan said in his show ‘Seedhi Baat’, “Everyone was scoring runs at a fast strike rate, but Jadeja was playing at a strike rate of 88. Playing so slowly in such a strong position hurts the team. Jadeja’s intention was not visible at all.”

He further said that this was not just something he said later, but he had also given the same warning during the commentary.

South Africa showed strength

After India’s batting, it seemed that the match was in hand, but dew changed the whole story. South Africa started cautiously and then Markram, Bavuma, Britzke and Brewis troubled the Indian bowlers a lot.

Along with this, Pathan also praised the South African bowlers. He told that the African bowlers stopped India’s run-flow by giving only 55 runs between 39 and 49 overs. Pathan further said, “If India had reached around 370, the situation could have been different, but South Africa bowled well in the last 10 overs.”

IND vs SA 3rd ODI: The ODI series between India and South Africa has now reached a decisive turn. The third and last ODI to be held in Visakhapatnam will be a ‘do or die’ match for both the teams. After winning the first match, India faltered badly in the second ODI. South Africa easily chased the mountain-like target of 359 runs. In such a situation, the pressure on the team captained by KL Rahul has doubled.

Bowling became the biggest concern

Indian bowlers looked completely scattered in the second ODI. Especially fast bowler Prasidh Krishna. Who gave away 85 runs in 8.2 overs and did not get a single wicket. His performance has been ordinary throughout the series. After giving consistent runs and not being able to make any impact, the only option left for the selectors and team management is to make a change. It is believed that Prasidh Krishna’s departure in the decisive match is almost certain.

All-rounder’s entry confirmed in the team?

According to reports, young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy can be included in the playing 11 in his place. Nitish Reddy is in excellent form in domestic cricket and has the ability to score fast runs in the death overs as well as take wickets. The pitch of Visakhapatnam helps batting. Therefore, there is a need for an all-rounder who can give depth to the team in batting and help as the sixth option in bowling.

In the last two matches, Team India found it difficult to score runs in the last overs. In such a situation, the inclusion of Nitish Reddy will strengthen the Indian batting and the team balance will also improve.

Reshuffle in bowling line-up

If Prasidh Krishna is out then the bowling unit could look like this,

Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Nitish Reddy as sixth bowlers. This combination will provide stability to the team in both the batting and bowling departments.

India’s probable playing 11 (3rd ODI 2025)

Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (captain and wicketkeeper), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh.

IND vs SA ODI: In Raipur ODI, Team India got a shock which no one had expected. Even after putting 358 runs on the board, India had to face defeat at the hands of South Africa. This was not only a big upset but also brought a “big sorrow” for Virat Kohli. After 2462 days i.e. more than 6 years, it happened that despite Kohli’s century, Team India could not win the match.

In the second ODI, India scored 358/5 thanks to the brilliant centuries of Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Kohli played an innings of 102 runs in 93 balls in a very classic style. This was his 53rd century in ODI career and 84th century in international cricket. Whereas Ruturaj Gaikwad scored the first century of his ODI career and scored 105 runs. The brilliant innings of both of them put India in a strong position, but the result of the match was disappointing.

Kohli’s charismatic record broken after 2462 days

The specialty of Kohli’s career has been that whenever he scores a century, the team’s victory is almost certain. Of his last 18 international centuries, 17 came in victory. The Raipur match broke this record. This happened for the first time after 2462 days when Kohli scored a century and India could not win. Earlier in 2019, Team India had lost against Australia in Ranchi despite scoring 123 runs.

Of Kohli’s 53 centuries in ODIs, only 8 have come in India’s defeat. That means, more than 85% of the times when Kohli scores a century, the team wins. For this reason he is also called “Chase Master”. He has scored 6072 runs only while chasing, that too at an average of around 90.

What was the reason behind the defeat?

India’s bowling was a complete failure in Raipur ODI. South Africa achieved the target of 359 runs by losing four wickets. This is jointly one of the biggest wins in target chase against India. Aiden Markram’s century and the aggressive play of the rest of the batsmen did not give any chance to the Indian bowlers.

Now look at the decisive match

The series is currently tied at 1-1 and the third match will be played in Visakhapatnam. For India, this match is not only an opportunity to win the series but also an opportunity to leave behind the defeat of Raipur.

Sunday was once again in the name of Virat Kohli at the stadium in Raipur. The Indian batsman not only scored a brilliant century in the second ODI, but also answered the critics with his rhythm and class. After reaching his 53rd ODI century, Kohli raised the bat in the air and then kissed his wedding ring and looked towards the sky. This celebration went viral on social media as soon as it was seen. After this his wife Anushka Sharma also gave her reaction.

Anushka Sharma also reacted

Anushka Sharma, who often gives heart-touching reactions to Virat’s big moments, was not left behind this time either. On Instagram, he shared a small reaction along with the photo of Virat’s century. He responded to her ring celebration with a heart emoji in her photo. After seeing this picture, fans made many lovely comments on social media about their relationship.

Play it on loop

Just like Virat Kohli

Yet another masterful knock!

Updates https://t.co/oBs0Ns6SqR#TeamIndia , #INDvSA , @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/WYbSDLEQRo

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 3, 2025

Kohli’s brilliant innings

This century of Virat came at a time when India needed stability in the match. The Indian team needed the innings of a big player to take the lead in the series. Kohli did the same, started calmly, then followed with classic drives, straight bats and hard hits on every weak ball. Kohli appeared completely in his old colours.

Irfan Pathan also reacted

After the match, reactions started coming from the cricket world also. Former all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Kohli’s century on

Why is Kohli’s form special for India?

After all, considering the final match, this form of Kohli is a big relief for India. As an experienced player of the team, he is not only scoring runs but is also managing the team in the middle overs. His fitness, running between the wickets and ability to finish the match till the end are important weapons for India’s victory.

IND vs SA: In the second match of the India-South Africa ODI series played in Raipur, Team India scored a huge score of 358 runs. The centuries of Rituraj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli had given full hope of victory. Indian bowling and fielding proved to be so weak that the match was lost and the series was tied at 1-1. The biggest reason for this defeat was the five players of the team, whose poor performance proved to be the turning point of the match.

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal

Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal became the biggest disappointment in this match. He could not give a start in batting and soon returned after getting out. Even more damage was done in fielding, when he dropped an easy catch of Aiden Markram. Markram was just getting set, and later he scored a century and turned the match towards South Africa. This catch drop cost India dearly.

2. Washington Beautiful

The team expected all-round performance from Sundar, but he failed with ball, bat and fielding. 1 run in batting, 28 runs in bowling in just 4 overs and no wickets. Along with this, he also dropped the important catch of Tony De Jorji. His failure caused a big loss to India in the middle overs.

3. Famous Krishna

The biggest problem was fast bowling. Prasidh Krishna broke the back of Indian bowling by conceding 85 runs in 8.2 overs. South African batsmen scored a lot of runs on his balls and India could not create pressure. Both his direction and control deteriorated in the death overs and the match completely slipped out of hand.

4. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav also disappointed. Even though one of his catches was dropped, he could not take a wicket with his bowling. By giving 78 runs in 10 overs, he did not give any chance to reduce the run rate. In the absence of support from the spin department, African batsmen formed partnerships easily.

5. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma’s innings was the most important link in India’s plan, but he returned to the pavilion after scoring just 14 runs. The pitch was easy, and the team was expecting a big innings from him. His early dismissal already created pressure on the middle order.

IND vs SA 3rd ODI: The ongoing three-match ODI series between India and South Africa has now reached its most important stage. Both the teams have won one match each and brought the score to 1-1 and now the decision will be taken in the third and final match. For cricket fans, this match is no less than a final, because only the winning team will capture the trophy.

When and where will the third ODI take place?

The third and deciding match of the India vs South Africa series will be played on 6 December 2025. Dr. Y.S. will host the competition. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA International Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. High-scoring and exciting matches are always seen in this beautiful stadium situated on the seashore, so the fans are expecting another explosive match.

What time will the match start?

This is a day/night match, which will start at 1:30 pm. Fans will be able to enjoy continuous thrill and fast-paced action from afternoon till evening. Considering the importance of this match, some strategic changes may also be seen in the playing eleven from both the teams.

Ticket booking, how to watch the match live in the stadium?

If you are planning to watch this great match live from the stadium, then the process of booking tickets is very easy. Ticket sales have started from 28 November 2025 and most tickets are available online.

Online Platform: District (by Zomato) app, Viagogo and ACA authorized portal

Stadium Box Office: A limited number of tickets may also be available here

ticket prices

The prices are fixed according to different categories and seating blocks:

Rs 750 – Rs 1,000: general stand

Rs 5,000 – Rs 12,000: premium stand

Rs 15,000 – Rs 18,000: Hospitality and VIP area

Given the high demand for the match, tickets are being sold rapidly, hence fans are being advised to book early.

IND vs SA 2nd ODI: In the second ODI played in Raipur, Team India suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of South Africa. Even after giving a big target of 359 runs, India could not save the match. Proteas won the match by scoring 362 runs for 6 wickets with 4 balls remaining. The three-match series is now tied at 1-1. The last ODI to be held in Visakhapatnam on 6th December has now become the real ‘final’ of the series. After the match, the pain of Indian captain KL Rahul was clearly visible. He admitted that the team missed in many important places, especially in bowling and fielding.

dew becomes the biggest enemy

Rahul said in clear words that bowling in the second innings was becoming very difficult because dew was falling continuously. Due to this, the bowlers faced difficulty in catching the ball and their grip became weak. Rahul said, “It is very difficult to digest the defeat. It was not at all easy to bowl in so much dew. The umpire also helped in changing the ball. It was very important for us to win the toss and I am blaming myself for losing the toss.”

He told that the team scored more than 350, which was good considering the performance of the batsmen, but the bowlers could not take advantage of the same.

Fielding and lower order spoiled the match

Rahul admitted that on some occasions the team could have done better in fielding. Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped the catch of Aiden Markram, which cost India dearly. Because Markram later scored a brilliant century and changed the course of the match.

The captain also admitted that his batsmen tried to score 20-25 more runs in the end, but the contribution from the lower order was not as expected. He said that if the lower order had added a little more runs, the result of the match could have been different.

Praise for Kohli and Gaikwad

However, Rahul praised Virat Kohli and Ruturaj Gaikwad a lot. Both of them scored brilliant centuries and took India to a huge score of 358. Rahul said, “It was great to see both of them bat like this. Virat was perfect as always. The way Rituraj played spin, he got us 20 more runs.”

Series decided in Visakhapatnam

Now both India and South Africa have their eyes on the final ODI. The team that wins this match will win the series. The biggest challenge before Team India will be to improve the fielding and bowling strategy.