In the second ODI held at Ranchi's JSCA International Stadium, India emerged victorious by 7 wickets. A dominant unbeaten 113 from Shreyas Iyer and a spirited 93 by Ishan Kishan guided the team to a successful chase of 279, finishing with 25 balls left on the clock. The series was leveled at 1-1 when Iyer hit a four to end the match. Earlier in the day, Mohammed Siraj was the standout bowler for India, finishing with figures of 3/38 over 10 overs.
South Africa struggled early on after choosing to bat, as Siraj quickly dismissed Quinton de Kock for only 5. The momentum stayed with India briefly when Shahbaz Ahmed, making his debut, sent Janneman Malan back for 25. However, the innings stabilized when Reeza Hendricks (74) and Aiden Markram (79) combined for a commanding 129-run stand, scoring their half-centuries with relative ease.
The total was further bolstered by Heinrich Klaasen's 30 and an unbeaten 35 from David Miller. Despite the Proteas looking like they might surpass 300, the Indian bowling unit did a great job of restricting them to 278/7.
India's chase got off to a shaky start, with openers Shikhar Dhawan (13) and Shubman Gill (28) failing to build a solid foundation. At 48/2, the game was in the balance until Iyer and Kishan forged a massive 161-run partnership in just 155 balls, completely demoralizing the South African bowlers. While Iyer celebrated his second ODI century, Kishan narrowly missed out on his first international hundred. The series will now be decided in the third ODI in Delhi this Tuesday.