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India held their nerves in the end and managed to notch an edgy 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi on November 30.
India pip South Africa by 17 runs in 1st ODI
India first rode on Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI century to post a massive total of 349/8. In reply, South Africa gave India a solid scare after Matthew Breetzke's 72, Marco Jansen's 70 and Corbin Bosch's 67. However, they ran out of steam in the end to hand India a 17-run win. With this win, India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Meanwhile, the second ODI is scheduled to be played on December 3 in New Raipur.
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Virat Kohli lights up Ranchi with spellbinding century
Earlier, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma resumed their devastating partnership, powering the Indian men's team to a formidable total of 349 for eight in the first ODI against South Africa at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. Asked to bat first, India suffered an early setback when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by Nandre Burger in the fourth over. However, the senior duo of Rohit and Kohli immediately took control, treating the Indian fans to a perfect blend of resilience, magnificent strokeplay, and a huge run total, showcasing the dominance they have delivered in numerous partnerships over the years.
The Proteas bowlers faced a stern challenge as the top-order pair stitched together a brilliant 136-run partnership for the second wicket. After the early wicket, South Africa found respite only in the 22nd over when all-rounder Marco Jansen trapped Rohit Sharma leg-before-wicket. Before his dismissal, Rohit completed his half-century and scored 57 runs off 51 deliveries, achieving a major milestone by breaking Shahid Afridi's record to become the cricketer with the most ODI sixes. Following Rohit's departure, Ruturaj Gaikwad came to the crease but his brief stay was cut short by a spectacular, out-of-the-blue catch by his Chennai Super Kings teammate, Dewald Brevis.
Washington Sundar proved to be an able partner to Kohli for a short period, finding gaps regularly before his scratchy innings ended in the 31st over, bowled by Ottniel Baartman. Following this, KL Rahul stepped up, playing a captain's knock and anchoring the innings alongside Kohli in a crucial 76-run stand. During this period, Kohli reached a magnificent century—his 52nd in the format and 83rd overall. After reaching the three-figure mark, Kohli went into attack mode, hitting Prenelan Subrayen for two fours and a couple of sixes, adding 20 runs to his score in quick succession. Rahul joined the power-hitting, taking advantage of the conditions as the opposition bowlers struggled.
With dew expected to help the visitors while batting second, South Africa's primary objective was to secure a solid start to their 350-run chase. However, fast bowler Harshit Rana immediately dismantled this plan, striking twice in his opening over to dismiss Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock. Arshdeep Singh added to the visitors' misery by sending Aiden Markram back to the pavilion, leaving South Africa reeling at a disastrous 11 for three. Despite the early collapse, Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi refused to be deterred, launching a powerful counterattack. Their continuous boundary-hitting forced Captain KL Rahul to make bowling changes at both ends after just eight overs.
Marco Jansen gives India a solid scare
Breetzke and de Zorzi batted with renewed positivity, reviving hopes of a South African fightback. Nevertheless, against the run of play, spinner Kuldeep Yadav was introduced and struck immediately, trapping de Zorzi leg-before-wicket in his first over. South Africa maintained their aggressive intent; Breetzke hit a six and a four in successive overs before Dewald Brevis injected further excitement with a mini-cameo. Brevis cleared the ropes twice off Ravindra Jadeja and followed up with a spectacular no-look six off Rana. This aggressive approach, however, proved to be his undoing, as he mistimed a shot to give Rana his third wicket, leaving half the South African side back in the pavilion inside 22 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav leaves Proteas in spin
With the result seemingly a foregone conclusion, Matthew Breetzke helped himself to a half-century at one end. Yet, it was Marco Jansen who dramatically put India on the back foot. Jansen launched a stunning assault, tonking Prasidh Krishna for two sixes and hitting Kuldeep for a couple of fours and a six. He raced to a brilliant 26-ball half-century, suddenly placing India under intense pressure to break the partnership. Jansen continued to rapidly chip away at the target until Kuldeep Yadav turned the game back in India's favour, dismissing both Breetzke and Jansen in the space of three balls. Although the visitors still required 120 runs off 96 balls—a manageable target—India finally breathed a sigh of relief with only three lower-order wickets remaining.
South Africa proved they were not ready to surrender. Corbin Bosch fetched a boundary in each of the next three overs, and Prenelan Subrayen nailed the slog sweep off Kuldeep to keep the boundaries flowing. Even after Kuldeep dismissed Subrayen in his final over, Bosch and Nandre Burger kept the fire burning. Bosch was in sizzling touch, frustrating India by continually finding the boundary, and even after Burger's dismissal, South Africa remained in the hunt with the equation narrowing to 38 runs needed off 18 balls. Bosch farmed the strike and smashed crucial boundaries en route to his maiden half-century, eventually bringing the required runs down to just 18 off the last over. However, on the second delivery of the final over, he mis-hit a shot, and South Africa were eventually all out for 332, handing India a tense 17-run victory.
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