It was exactly the result for India but for South Africa, it was a bitter heartbreak after the South African captain brought the hosts within touching distance of victory in the second ODI of the India South Africa series at the Wanderers, Johannesburg.
India struggled to put up a decent score on board after losing three wickets for only sixty-seven. Had it not been for the eighty-three run partnership between the Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored thirty-eight and Yuvraj Singh who made a valuable half-century, India would not even found themselves in contention given that Lonwabo Tsotsobe picked up four wickets for the match for a second time in a row.

190 runs were all India could score by half time and it appeared South Africa could not lose it from here. But then it looked that way even when they were batting on 150 for four with Graeme Smith looking rather accomplished on seventy-seven.

The Indian bowlers were disciplined and the South African kept paying the price not not being quite as ready for the task. However, it was Munaf Patel who first dismissed Hashim Amla accounted for Smith and thereafter, South Africa literally fell like nine pins with the partnership over after Colin Ingram and JP Duminy struck important ones with Smith.

Even though the target was gettable in terms of runs per ball, South Africa quickly ran out of wickets. When Morne Morkel was dismissed, South Africa needed three runs with one wicket in hand. But on this occasion, it was Munaf Patel who picked up four wickets for twenty-eight runs who turned into the hero as he picked up the final wicket of Wayne Parnell as South Africa fell short by one run, all out for 189 in forty-three overs.