Eden Gardens Epic: India Whitewash South Africa 3-0 with Rohit’s Unbeaten 138 in 7-Wicket Romp
In a night of unbridled celebration at the historic Eden Gardens, India completed a resounding 3-0 whitewash over South Africa with a clinical seven-wicket victory in the 3rd and final ODI on December 6, 2025. Chasing 289 under floodlights on a dew-laden pitch, India cruised home in 45.3 overs, powered by Rohit Sharma’s majestic unbeaten 138 off 132 balls (15 fours, 3 sixes) and Shubman Gill’s elegant 72 off 82. The duo added 145* for the second wicket, turning a potential chase into a procession. South Africa, despite Temba Bavuma’s fighting 112, were restricted to 288 for 8, with Kuldeep Yadav’s 3 for 45 and Jasprit Bumrah’s 2 for 48 choking the middle overs. This series sweep marks India’s 14th consecutive home ODI series triumph—a streak unbroken since 2014—and vaults them to No. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings.
The iconic Kolkata venue, bathed in golden floodlights and packed with 62,000 roaring fans, witnessed a spectacle befitting its legacy. The black-soil pitch offered true bounce and lightning-fast outfield early on, but heavy dew after the 25th over rendered the ball slippery, nullifying spin and aiding strokeplay in the chase. Rohit Sharma’s toss win and decision to field first was a masterstroke—exploiting early swing under cloudy skies before the surface flattened. For Aiden Markram, leading a transitional side, the clean sweep was a sobering reality check: South Africa’s fielding lapses (three dropped catches, including two off Rohit), death-bowling leaks (88 runs in the last 10 overs), and inability to rotate strike against spin proved fatal. As Rohit flicked the winning single off Rabada amid fireworks and chants of “India! India!”, the focus now shifts to the T20I leg starting December 9 in Ranchi.
India XI
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah
South Africa XI
Aiden Markram (c), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi
Umpires: Nitin Menon & Paul Reiffel. Third umpire: Chris Gaffaney. TV Umpire: Anil Chaudhary.
South Africa Innings: Bavuma’s Lone Battle Amid Middle-Order Meltdown
South Africa’s innings began with promise. Markram and de Zorzi raced to 52 for 0 in the powerplay, de Zorzi clipping Bumrah through midwicket for four and Markram lofting Pandya over cover. But the introduction of spin changed the script. Kuldeep Yadav, bowling in the 11th over, struck immediately—his wrong’un skidding past Markram’s defensive prod to rattle middle stump for 32 off 28. 52 for 1.
Bavuma, dropped on 8 by Rahul off Thakur, made India pay. He rotated strike with de Zorzi, reaching his fifty off 68 balls with a delicate late cut off Sundar. De Zorzi fell for 28, chipping Kuldeep to midwicket — 88 for 2 in the 18th over. Stubbs arrived with intent, smashing Pandya for a six over deep square and racing to 42 off 38 before holing out to long-on off Kuldeep — 138 for 3 in the 28th.
Bedingham and Rickelton tried to rebuild. Bedingham swept Kuldeep for four, Rickelton drove Thakur straight — their 40-run stand pushed to 178 for 3. But Kuldeep struck again—Bedingham stumped for 38 off a wide leg-break, Rahul’s gloves lightning — 178 for 4. Rickelton fought to 45 off 52, but fell to a sharp return catch off Pandya — 188 for 5 in the 36th.
Bavuma, now the anchor, reached his 112 off 124 balls (10 fours, 2 sixes) with a lofted cover drive off Thakur. But with wickets tumbling, he couldn’t accelerate. Mulder scratched 18, Jansen 22, but Bumrah’s death yorkers were lethal: Jansen cleaned up, Maharaj lbw for 8 — 258 for 7 in the 46th. Maharaj’s late cameo — 28* off 18 balls with three fours and a six off Thakur — lifted the total to 288 for 8. India’s bowlers were relentless: Kuldeep 3-45, Bumrah 2-48, Pandya 2-52, Thakur 1-68. Fielding sharp — two run-out threats, one stumping — South Africa’s total flattered by 22 extras.
Bavuma later reflected: “112 was satisfying, but we needed 320+ on this track. Dew and drops cost us.”
India Chase: Rohit’s Masterclass, Gill’s Elegance, Dew’s Mercy
India’s reply was a clinic in chasing under pressure. Rohit and Gill blitzed 78 for 0 in the powerplay — Gill clipping Ngidi for four, Rohit pulling Rabada for six over square leg. **Gill reached 50 off 58…
Gill fell for *72 off 82 balls* (7 fours, 1 six), caught at deep midwicket off Rabada — 142 for 1 in the 22nd over.
Kohli joined Rohit, and the duo added 68 in 62 balls. Kohli, dropped on 28 by Jansen at long-on off Maharaj, looked fluent — a cover drive off Ngidi for four, a flicked six off Mulder. But he fell for 48 off 52, edging Maharaj to slip — 210 for 2 in the 34th.
Rahul scratched 12 off 18 before being stumped off Jansen’s slower ball — 222 for 3 in the 37th. Rohit, now in full flow, reached his century off 102 balls with a pulled six off Rabada — his 20th ODI ton at Eden, surpassing Tendulkar’s record at the venue. Pant arrived and sealed it with 22* off 15, including a massive six over cow corner off Ngidi.
Needing 10 off 28 balls, Rohit flicked Rabada through midwicket for four — 292 for 3 in 45.3 overs. Rohit 138* (132 balls, 15×4, 3×6), Pant 22* (15 balls, 2×4, 1×6) — chase completed at 6.42 run rate. South Africa’s bowlers toiled: Rabada 1-62, Maharaj 1-58, Jansen 1-48, Ngidi 0-68. Dew made spin redundant; fielding errors (two drops) compounded misery.
Rohit, Player of the Match, beamed: “138 under lights at Eden — dream stuff. The boys made chasing look easy. Whitewash is special, but T20Is are next.”
Post-Match Reflections & Series Stats
- Player of the Series: Rohit Sharma (218 runs @ 218.00, 2 hundreds, 1 fifty)
- Highest scorer: Temba Bavuma (182 runs @ 60.66)
- Leading wicket-taker: Kuldeep Yadav (8 wickets @ 5.12 economy)
- Most sixes: Rishabh Pant (8)
- Fielding highlight: KL Rahul — 3 catches, 2 stumpings
- DLS par score at 40 overs: South Africa 228-6 vs par 252
Markram rued: “We competed in patches, but couldn’t handle dew or pressure. T20Is are our chance to salvage pride.”
Final Series Result: India 3–0 South Africa
- Ranchi: India won by 68 runs
- Visakhapatnam: India won by 92 runs
- Kolkata: India won by 7 wickets
Next: T20I Series
- 1st T20I: Ranchi, December 9 (D/N)
- 2nd T20I: Visakhapatnam, December 11 (D/N)
- 3rd T20I: Kolkata, December 13 (D/N)
India, No. 1 in ODIs, now eye a clean sweep across formats. South Africa, bruised but resilient, look to their T20 specialists for redemption. The subcontinental summer rolls on — and the tricolor flies high.
