Markram: stuff of nightmares

Aiden Markram would not have imagined in his worst nightmare a more chastening start to his career as national captain as South Africa suffered a record-breaking nine-wicket thrashing at the hands of India in the second oneday international at Centurion yesterday.

While the 23-year-old has long been touted as a future Proteas skipper, the impression is that he has been rushed into the job with unseemly haste, having to lead a team missing key players through injury against the best team in the world with just two ODIs worth of experience to his name.

And it all came crashing down around his ears on his home ground as South Africa were bundled out for just 118, the lowest total they have made in a home ODI.

Markram will be particularly angry with himself that he was dismissed for eight, hitting a longhop straight to a wide deep midwicket, the ball after Quinton de Kock (20) had also hit a long-hop straight to deep midwicket.

When David Miller fell four balls later for a duck, edging Kuldeep Yadav to slip, South Africa had crashed from 51/1 to 51/4, and there would be no escape as leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal ran through the batting line-up with a career-best 5/22, only the second time an Indian bowler has taken five wickets against the Proteas in an ODI, after left-arm spinner Sunil Joshi took 5/6 in Nairobi in 1999/2000.

Chasing such a dismal total would prove no challenge for India as they raced home in 20.3 overs with just one wicket down; with 177 balls remaining in the match, it was the most one-sided ODI defeat South Africa have ever suffered on home soil.

Shikhar Dhawan sped to a 49ball half-century and finished with 51 not out, while captain Virat Kohli was 46 not out at the end. Their stand of 93 off 103 balls would only be interrupted by an absurd lunch break with just two runs left to win.

Rohit Sharma (15), well-caught by Morne Morkel at fine leg after splicing a hook off Kagiso Rabada, was the only Indian batsman to be dismissed.