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Arshdeep Singh wreaked havoc with his bowling blitz to help India thrash South Africa by eight wickets in their first ODI on December 17, Sunday.
The pitch, conducive to fast bowling with its pace and bounce, saw Avesh claim 4 for 27 in eight overs and Arshdeep snare a blistering 5 for 37 in 10 overs. The pace duo's bowling prowess limited South Africa for a meager total of 116 in just 27.3 overs. In reply, Sai Sudharsan, who remained unbeaten at 55, and Shreyas Iyer with 52, crafted skillful half-centuries to overhaul the modest target in just 16.4 overs with eight wickets to spare.
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Arshdeep scripted history as he became the first Indian fast bowler to claim a five-wicket haul against the Proteas in South Africa in a 50-over match. The previous best by an Indian pacer in South Africa was Munaf Patel's four wickets for 29 runs in Centurion on January 15, 2011. Avesh surpassed Munaf's record, taking four wickets for 27 runs on December 17, pushing Munaf to third place. Arshdeep joined an elite group as the 10th visiting bowler to take five or more wickets in an ODI against South Africa on their home turf. Notably, Yuzvendra Chahal for India had taken five wickets for 22 runs in Centurion in 2018.
However, Arshdeep isn't the first Indian to achieve a five-wicket feat in ODIs in South Africa. Ashish Nehra previously took six wickets for 23 runs against England in Durban during the 2003 World Cup.
Meanwhile, after winning the Player of the Match award, Arshdeep said that it was his captain KL Rahul's words of wisdom which brought the best out of him in the first ODI against South Africa.
“I feel little sore. Loving this moment. Thank God and the team management. It is a little different than normal grounds as I was running out of breath. Personally it feels good, I am enjoying my role. I would thank KL Rahul bhai as he said you have to come back and get that fifer. I guess it is about enjoying this moment. (On the upcoming matches) When we go there, then focus on what will work there,” Arshdeep said in the post match presentation.
Arshdeep started his blitzkrieg from the word go, striking in his very first over with the new ball. Reeza Hendricks was bowled after dragging a delivery onto his stumps. The next ball saw Rassie van der Dussen dismissed lbw for a golden duck, as Arshdeep brought the ball back in sharply. While Ton de Zorzi and Aiden Markram were forming a solid partnership, Arshdeep stepped in to disrupt their rhythm. Despite conceding a six on the first delivery of the eighth over, Arshdeep bounced back by outsmarting De Zorzi with a short delivery. De Zorzi's top edge was caught by wicketkeeper Rahul. In the following over, Arshdeep successfully breached Heinrich Klaasen's defenses, resulting in Klaasen being bowled.
Meanwhile India skipper Rahul expressed his happiness after India's convincing win over South Africa in the first ODI. In the post-match presentation Rahul said,"I am happy. Good to have a win under the belt. Completely different to what we expected. The plan was to get the spinners in the game. The boys did really well. The boys did well to stay disciplined. The ball kept moving around. There is a lot of cricket being played. You prioritize one format. For now, it is Tests and T20s. Everyone is performing and trying to do well for the country. Good chance for them to get a taste of international cricket."
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