Dewald Brevis played a crucial role in South Africa’s chase in Raipur, stitching together a breathtaking fifty that shifted the match in their direction. His maiden fifty in ODIs came at a time when India were trying to pull things back, but Brevis walked in and turned the game on its head with clean, confident hitting that kept the momentum with the visitors.
Brevis has already built a name for himself as a natural striker of the ball in limited overs cricket, and this knock only strengthened that reputation. This was one of his most impactful ODI fifties, adding to his growing list of half centuries in the format. His ability to hit sixes at will, especially in high-pressure moments, makes him one of South Africa’s most dangerous middle-order players. That quality was on full display in this innings.
Brevis smashes maiden Fifty in ODIs
Brevis’ approach was simple. He took a few balls to settle and then went after the bowlers without hesitation. Kuldeep Yadav, who had earlier slowed things down for India, could not hold Brevis back. Brevis used his feet well, stepped out, and launched him straight down the ground for a pair of massive sixes. It was the kind of hitting that immediately forced India to rethink their field placements.
Harshit Rana, who had been mixing his lengths well, faced similar treatment. Anything even slightly short sat up perfectly for Brevis, and he pulled it cleanly into the stands. By the time his innings ended, he had struck 5 towering sixes and kept the required run rate firmly within reach. His 54 from just 34 balls was the exact injection of pace South Africa needed during the second half of the chase.
Brevis set stage for the win
The partnership he built during that period helped stabilise the innings after a couple of wickets and gave South Africa the belief and scoring rate they needed. Once Brevis had done his job, Matthew Breetzke carried the chase forward with a steady hand.
In the final overs, the remaining batters finished what Brevis and Markram had set up. Calm, risk-free batting from the lower order ensured South Africa crossed the line with four wickets in hand.
Brevis’ half-century may have been short in length, but it carried tremendous value. His clean striking, his confidence against both spin and pace, and his natural ability to find the boundary made him the spark that brought South Africa back into the contest and eventually to victory.
Gaikwad’s Century
Earlier the Indian nnings was anchored by Ruturaj Gaikwad’s maiden ODI century, supported by Virat Kohli at the other end. After a shaky start at 62/2, Gaikwad and Kohli stitched a commanding 195-run third-wicket stand. Their efforts powered India to a competitive 358/5 in 50 overs, setting a challenging target for South Africa.
