Ro-Ko carry India's hopes as South Africa eye historic ODI series win

India enter the final ODI in Visakhapatnam with their backs firmly against the wall, knowing another slip-up against South Africa would deepen the unease surrounding the team.

- TRIDIB BAPARNASH

After losing the Test series 2-0 and fumbling in Raipur, the hosts now face the prospect of consecutive home-series defeats, an outcome almost unthinkable for a side of India’s pedigree, especially amid murmurs of a divided dressing room.Saturday’s clash is more than a decider. It is an opportunity to reset the narrative, and once again, the responsibility will fall heavily on the shoulders of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the two pillars who have carried India’s ODI cricket for over a decade. Both are in sublime touch as Kohli enters the match with two centuries and a fifty in his last three innings, while Rohit has struck a hundred and two fifties in his previous four.

Their recent form not only signals experience but also hunger, even as both approach the twilight of their careers. Another defining performance from the duo could stabilise a wobbly campaign.

Yet, India cannot afford to lean solely on its senior pros. The younger generation must rise to the occasion, much like Ruturaj Gaikwad did in Raipur with his maiden ODI hundred during a 195-run stand with Kohli.