Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav star as India beat South Africa by 17 runs in 1st ODI to go 1-0 up in series
India rode on Virat Kohli's magnificent ton and Kuldeep Yadav's 4-wicket haul to beat South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday.
Virat Kohli and Kuldeep Yadav played starring roles as India edged South Africa by 17 runs in a last-over thriller in the first ODI at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday. In pursuit of a tricky 349-run target on a batting track, South Africa came close but failed to cross the line as India went 1-0 up in the three-match series. Kohli stole the show with a magnificent 135-run knock before Kuldeep ran riot with the ball to secure a thrilling win for the hosts.
After Kohli's ton powered India to a strong total of 348 runs, batting first, Harshit Rana got India off to a dream start with the ball as he removed opener Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock on ducks apiece in the same over to leave South Africa reeling. However, half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch brought South Africa close to pulling off a heist in Ranchi.
Rana let the new ball do the talking as South Africa were reduced to 11/3 at the start of their 349-run chase. However, a steady 72 from Breetzke, followed by a stunning 39-ball 70 from Jansen and a brilliant 67 off 51 balls from Bosch kept South Africa in the game till the final over of the match.
Kuldeep Yadav was the pick of the bowlers for India in the game as he provided the hosts with some important breakthroughs at crucial junctures. He broke the 66-run fourth-wicket stand between Bretzkee and Tony de Zorzi by removing the latter on 39, before bagging the crucial wickets of Jansen, Bretzkee and Prenelan Subrayen.
Kuldeep finished with good figures of 4/68 off his 10 overs. The left-arm spinner was well supported by Rana, who ran through the Proteas top-order to record figures of 3/65 off his 10 overs and Arshdeep Singh, who picked up two wickets while conceding 64 runs off his 10 overs. While Kuldeep did well in the middle overs, Arshdeep kept things tight in the death overs to help India clinch a close victory.
Despite the dew in Ranchi affecting the grip of the Indian bowlers, they kept taking wickets at regular intervals to keep South Africa under check and eventually bowled them out for 332 runs to secure a 17-run victory for the hosts.
Vintage Virat Kohli breaks records with 52nd ODI century
Earlier, Kohli was at his vintage best as he notched up his 52nd ODI ton en route to a brilliant knock of 135 runs off 120 balls to help India set up an imposing total of 349/8 in 50 overs in Ranchi. The star batter looked in splendid touch from the word go and controlled the tempo of the innings to reaffirm his importance for India in ODIs, a format he continues to dominate.
Kohli was elegant as ever and timed the ball to perfection, while also playing big shots against the loose deliveries. He went on to complete his ton off 102 balls and upped the ante after reaching the three-figure mark to finish with 135 off 120 balls, which was laced with 11 fours and seven sixes.
With his 52nd ODI ton, Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar's record for most centuries in a single format of the game. He went past Tendulkar's 51 centuries in Tests. Kohli walked out to bat at no.3 after the wicket of Yashasvi Jaiswal and combined with Rohit Sharma to share a magnificent 136-run stand for the second wicket.
Rohit too played a superb knock of 57 runs off 51 balls after being given an early reprieve, when he was dropped on 2 by Tony de Zorzi, who dropped a sitter. The Hitman slammed three sixes en route to his half-century to break Shahid Afridi's record for most sixes in ODIs. Rohit now has 352 sixes to his name in the one-day format, the most by any batter.
The duo once again proved why they are the most dependable pair for India in ODIs amid questions over their future ahead of the 2027 World Cup. After Rohit's departure, Kohli combined with skipper KL Rahul (60) to share a 76-run stand for the sixth wicket to set the stage for a big total for India.
Rahul, who is serving as the stand-in skipper in Shubman Gill's absence, stepped up with the bat at no.6 with his measured fifty. However, the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) failed to make an impact at no. 4 and 5, respectively. Nonetheless, India secured a comfortable win to go 1-0 up in the two-match series and will be hoping to take an unassailable 2-0 lead with a victory in the 2nd ODI in Raipur on Wednesday.