MUMBAI-- Quinton de Kock, Faf de Plessis and AB de Villiers all scored hundreds as South Africa crushed India's bowling attack to post 438-4 and win the deciding one-day international by 214 runs at the Wankhede Stadium.
With the five-match series tied at 2-2, de Villiers won the toss and opted to bat in hot and humid conditions and could not have been a happier man at the close of their innings as his team matched their second highest score in the 50-over format.
A 58-ball 87 from local boy Ajinkya Rahane and a 60 from out-of-form opener Shikhar Dhawan brought some cheer for the crowd but it was never going to be enough for the hosts, who folded for 224 inside 36 overs.
Kagiso Rabada took four wickets while pace colleague Dale Steyn took three for the touring side to complete a 3-2 series win, their first in ODIs in India.
It was only the second time that a team had scored three centuries in an ODI innings after South Africa did it against West Indies in January this year on their way to their highest total of 439 for two.
De Kock (109) continued to make merry against the Indian bowlers, scoring his fifth century in nine innings against the opponents after South Africa had lost Hashim Amla (23) early.
The left-hander hit 17 fours and a six on his way to his eighth ODI hundred and laid the perfect platform for de Villiers's onslaught with a 154-run stand with du Plessis (133 retired hurt).
India compounded their misery by dropping catches and du Plessis made the most of his good fortune to score his first century against India and his fifth overall after being put down twice, on 45 and 85.
The right-handed batsman suffered severe cramps during the later part of his innings and had to retire but had added 164 runs with de Villiers for the third wicket before that.
De Villiers, the owner of the record for the fastest hundred in the format, needed no invitation to launch into the Indian bowlers with the stage set perfectly for his pyrotechnics.
The 31-year-old reached his century, his 23rd in the format, in just 57 balls and cleared the boundary ropes with ease. The right-hander hit 11 sixes and three fours in his knock.
India medium paceman Bhuvnehwar Kumar ended with figures of 1-106 in his 10 overs, the second most expensive in ODIs behind Australian Mick Lewis's 0-113 against South Africa in 2006.
The two sides will play a four-test series with the first match starting at the Northern Indian city of Mohali on Nov. 5.
KANSAS CITY-- Kansas City used some daring base-running to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 in Game Six of the American League Championship Series on Friday as the Royals advanced to the World Series for a second consecutive year.
Lorenzo Cain scored from first on a single down the right field line by Eric Hosmer with no one out in the bottom of the eighth to snap a 3-3 tie and set up a Fall Classic against the National League champion New York Mets.
The best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship will begin on Tuesday in Kansas City.
Cain's mad dash around the Kauffman Stadium bases led him home as Toronto outfielder Jose Bautista pirouetted after reaching the ball and fired toward second to keep Hosmer at first base, not thinking Cain would try to score on the play.
Toronto threatened in the ninth with a similar aggressive approach on the basepaths as pinch-runner Dalton Pompey stole second and third with no one out and Kevin Pillar walked to put men on first and third.
However, closer Wade Davis struck out pinch-hitter Dioner Navarro and Ben Revere before getting Josh Donaldson to ground out to third to secure a 4-2 series triumph with a nail-biting victory that unleashed wild celebrations on the diamond.
Kansas City had led 3-1, aided by a controversial home run for Mike Moustakas in the second inning, going into the top of the eighth when Bautista belted a two-run blast off reliever Ryan Madson to tie the game.
Bautista also supplied the first run of the game for Toronto with a towering hit in the fourth inning to halve a then 2-0 Kansas City lead.
Rain forced a delay of some 40 minutes before the start of the bottom of the eighth and Cain's dash to the plate for the winning margin.
Kansas City will be trying for their first World Series title in 30 years, while the Mets seek their first Fall Classic crown in 29 years after most recently losing to their cross-town rival Yankees in the so-called Subway Series of 2000.
LONDON-- Juergen Klopp got a taste of the problems at Liverpool as his first home game as manager ended in a frustrating 1-1 draw against Rubin Kazan who played more than 50 minutes with 10 men in the Europa League on Thursday.
As Klopp's new charges struggled to break down limited Russian opponents, the German's former side Borussia Dortmund were ruthless with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scoring a superbly-executed hat-trick.
Dortmund secured a 3-1 win at Azerbaijani outfit Qabala on a night when Anderlecht came from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in a 1984 UEFA Cup final rematch and Sporting Lisbon thumped Albanian side Skenderbeu 5-1.
Spain's Villarreal continued their bright start to the season with a 4-0 victory over Dinamo Minsk but Fiorentina suffered a surprise 2-1 home defeat by Lech Poznan and former European champions Celtic lost 3-1 at Norwegians Molde.
Klopp had warned Liverpool fans he had no stardust to sprinkle on the squad and magically turn around their poor early-season form and Thursday's display proved him right.
Kazan silenced the boisterous home crowd when they took the lead through Marko Devic's superb rising finish but a red card in the 36th minute for captain Oleg Kuzmin changed the dynamic of the match and handed Liverpool a route back.
However, after Emre Can levelled from close range, the hosts huffed and puffed and created little to leave Liverpool trailing Group B leaders Sion by four points.
"Tonight is not an absolute masterclass but it's not the worst day in my life," Klopp told reporters.
"Sometimes it's a big advantage against 10 men. Sometimes it's a thankless job."
Klopp's former frontman Aubameyang continued his scorching form with a superb treble as the Germans strolled to a victory that kept them top of Group C with seven points from three matches.
Having already bagged 10 Bundesliga goals this season, the Gabon striker opened his Europa League account when he found the top corner after 31 minutes.
He doubled his tally with a poked finish after exchanging passes with Shinji Kagawa seven minutes later and then made the game safe with 18 minutes remaining when he pounced on a loose ball before Qabala grabbed a late consolation.
Anderlecht's Stefano Okaka bagged their winner against Tottenham in the 75th minute when he fired home from close range to complete an impressive comeback and secure the Belgian team's first win in Group J.
The Premier League club had made a superb start when Christian Eriksen put them ahead after four minutes as an attempted clearance deflected into his path and he calmly slotted home.
The Belgians, who lost the 1984 final on penalties, were level nine minutes later with Guillaume Gillet arrowing a perfectly-controlled half volley into the net from the edge of the area.
Okaka's winner moved Anderlecht level with Tottenham on four points, one behind group leaders Monaco who beat Qarabag 1-0.
Napoli's Manolo Gabbiadini scored twice in a 4-1 triumph at Danish side Midtjylland to maintain their 100 percent record in Group D while Fenerbahce's Fernandao netted an 89th-minute goal in a 1-0 win at home to Ajax Amsterdam in Group A.
Lazio saw off Norwegian side Rosenborg Trondheim 3-1 in Group G despite having Brazilian Mauricio sent off after six minutes and it was a dismal night for Fiorentina.
Dawid Kownacki and Maciej Gajos struck in the second half for Polish side Poznan and although Giuseppe Rossi pulled one back for Fiorentina late on, Italian misery was complete when Ante Rebic received a late red card.
Fiorentina have now lost their last three European home games and are bottom of Group I.
Schalke 04 stayed top of Group K but could only draw 2-2 at home to Sparta Prague, who trail them by two points, while last season's beaten finalists Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk were beaten 1-0 at home by St Etienne in Group G.
COLOMBO-- Fast bowler Dhammika Prasad picked up four wickets as hosts Sri Lanka bundled out West Indies for 163 to take a first-innings lead on the second day of the second and final test at the P Sara Oval on Friday.
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera provided good support by picking up the last three West Indies wickets to give the hosts a lead of 37 runs.
Sri Lanka lost opener Dimuth Karunaratne to the first ball of their second innings from paceman Jerome Taylor but recovered to reach 76 for two at stumps, stretching their lead to 113.
Kaushal Silva remained unbeaten on 31 and added 55 for the second wicket with debutant Kusal Mendis (39) before the latter fell to left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, also playing for the first time for West Indies.
In the morning, play was delayed by 30 minutes due to a wet outfield and Prasad made full use of the overcast conditions, bowling an impeccable line and length to extract movement off the pitch.
After dismissing the hosts for 200 on the opening day, West Indies would have hoped for a solid start from their batsmen after resuming on 17-1.
Nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo (13) was the first to fall, edging a wide delivery from Prasad to wicketkeeper Kusal Perera.
West Indies' batting mainstay Darren Bravo (two) then chopped Prasad on to his stumps to put the touring side in further trouble.
Opener Kraigg Brathwaite (47) tried to rebuild the innings in a fourth-wicket stand of 39 with Marlon Samuels (13) before the latter fell in the penultimate over before lunch.
All-rounder Milinda Siriwardana, who top-scored for his side with 68 in the first innings, got Samuels to edge to Angelo Mathews at slip off his left-arm spin bowling.
Siriwardana took his second wicket when Brathwaite fell shortly after lunch with the batsman unable to overturn the umpire's decision to give him out caught behind.
Prasad returned for another spell and took out Jermaine Blackwood, who made 92 in the last test, for his fourth wicket of the innings.
West Indies captain Jason Holder (21) used his power and reach to hit a few boundaries and bring down the deficit but became Dilruwan Perera's first victim of the innings.
The off-spinner dismissed Taylor (one) and Warrican (one) to finish off the innings.
Hosts Sri Lanka won the opening test in Galle by an innings and six runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
INDIA-- Virat Kohli struck his first one-day international century since the World Cup in February to lead India to a series-levelling 35-run victory over South Africa in Chennai on Thursday.
Kohli made a fluent 138, his third-highest knock in 165 ODIs, to steer the hosts to an imposing 299 for eight in the fourth match of the five-game series.
South Africa replied with 264 for nine, AB de Villiers top-scoring with 112 off 107 balls, as India tied the series at 2-2 ahead of the deciding fifth match in Mumbai on Sunday.
Kohli's 138 came off 140 deliveries and featured six fours and five sixes including one off Aaron Phangiso to bring up his 23rd ODI hundred and his first against the Proteas.
The Indian batsman shared two century partnerships, the first with Ajinkya Rahane (45) and the second with Suresh Raina (53) who bounced back to form after making ducks in his two previous matches.
Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada were the pick of the South African bowlers, taking three wickets each.
"It always feels good when you get a century and the team wins," Kohli said. "I told (De Villiers) in the dressing room my heart was in my mouth when he was batting.
"He plays unbelievable shots. He's a very modest man, too, never praises himself, so I'll do that for him. The credit goes to him. He fought it out."
Quinton de Kock got South Africa's reply off to a flying start when he blasted 43 off 35 balls but his departure left De Villiers to fight a lone hand.
Like Kohli, the South African captain brought up his ton with a six, off Amit Mishral.
It was his 22nd ODI hundred, a record for a South African, but was not enough to get his team over the line after he fell to Bhuvneshwar Kumar who scooped up the last three wickets to finish with three for 68.
"We had a great opportunity to clinch the series," De Villiers said. "It was a hard-fought game and I loved the way the boys fought till the end."
