PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (Reuters) – Rohit Sharma’s century helped India wrap up the One Day International series against hosts South Africa with a 73-run victory at St George’s Park yesterday.

India took an unassailable 4-1 lead in the six-match series as Sharma finally came good with the bat, scoring 115 after India were asked to bat first and amassed 274 for seven wickets in their 50 overs.
South Africa, who needed victory to keep alive their hopes of levelling the series, were all out for 201 in response.

India replace South Africa at the top of the International Cricket Council’s ODI rankings. India’s ODI series victory came after they lost 2-1 in the three Tests played between the two countries last month.

Sharma had struggled with his batting on tour but got India off to a storming start as he finally found form. He was dropped on 96 by Tabraiz Shamsi before going on to make his 17th ODI century, reached off just 107 balls.
“It was a long time coming. I just had to keep myself in a good frame of mind. I didn’t feel I had to change a lot and I knew that the runs would come,” he said after being named man-of-the-match.

But his dismissal, for India’s fourth wicket, precipitated a mini collapse as 21-year-old fast bowler Lungisani Ngidi took four wickets in quick succession to finish with figures of 4-51.
India’s last 10 overs produced only 55 runs and handed South Africa a gettable target at a run rate of 5.50.

But the hosts were 65-3 when AB de Villiers went cheaply after a rash shot in the 13th over and once Hashim Amla departed for 71 after a needless run-out, home hopes were dashed.
A cameo 39 from wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen, who had been the hero of South Africa’s victory in the last match, could not stem the inevitable.

Kuldeep Yadav cleaned up the tail to finish with 4-57 in his 10 overs.
“We lost wickets in clumps and never got any momentum although it was a decent tally to chase,” South Africa’s stand-in captain Aiden Markram said.
The last match of the series is at Centurion in Pretoria on Friday and will be followed by three Twenty20 clashes.

INDIA 1st innings
Shikhar Dhawan c Andile Phehlukwayo b Kagiso Rabada 34
Rohit Sharma c Heinrich Klaasen b Lungi Ngidi 115
Virat Kohli run-out JP Duminy 36
Ajinkya Rahane run-out Morne Morkel 8
Shreyas Iyer c Heinrich Klaasen b Lungi Ngidi 30
Hardik Pandya c Heinrich Klaasen b Lungi Ngidi 0
MS Dhoni c Aiden Markram b Lungi Ngidi 13
Bhuvneshwar Kumar not out 19
Kuldeep Yadav not out 2
Extras: (b-1, lb-9, w-7) 17
Total: (50.0 overs) 274-7
Fall of wickets: 1-48, 2-153, 3-176, 4-236, 5-236, 6-238, 7-265.
Bowling: Morne Morkel 10-2- 44-0 (w-1), Kagiso Rabada 9-0-58-1 (w-1), Lungi Ngidi 9-1-514 (w-2), Andile Phehlukwayo 8-0-34-0 (w-1), JP Duminy 4-0-29-0 (w-2), Tabraiz Shamsi 10-0-48-0.

SOUTH AFRICA 1st innings
Hashim Amla run out Hardik Pandya 71
Aiden Markram c Virat Kohli b Jasprit Bumrah 32
JP Duminy c Rohit Sharma b Hardik Pandya 1
AB de Villiers c MS Dhoni b Hardik Pandya 6
David Miller b Yuzvendra Chahal 36
Heinrich Klaasen stp. MS Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav 39
Andile Phehlukwayo b Kuldeep Yadav 0
Kagiso Rabada c Yuzvendra Chahal b Kuldeep Yadav 3
Morne Morkel lbw Yuzvendra Chahal 1
Tabraiz Shamsi c Hardik Pandya b Kuldeep Yadav 0
Lungi Ngidi not out 4
Extras: (lb-6, w-2) 8
Total: (42.2 overs) 201 all out
Fall of wickets: 1-52, 2-55 y, 3-65, 4-127, 5-166, 6-168, 7-196 a, 8-197, 9-197.
Bowling: Bhuvneshwar Kumar 7-0-43-0, Jasprit Bumrah 7-0-22-1, Hardik Pandya 9-0-30-2 (w-1), Kuldeep Yadav 10-0-57-4, Yuzvendra Chahal 9.2- 0-43-2 (w-1).