Virat Kohli scripts history, breaks massive all-time record with heroic performance vs South Africa in 1st ODI

India star batter Virat Kohli played a sensational knock of 135 in the first ODI of the three-match series against South Africa. With this inning, he brought up his 83rd hundred in international cricket and his 52nd ton in the one-day format. Alongside him, both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also gave valiant contributions with their knocks of 57 and 60 respectively as the Men in Blue posted a humongous total of 349/8 on the board in 50 overs.

South Africa fall short

In reply, South Africa put in a great fight with the likes of Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (70) and Corbin Bosch (67) scoring half-centuries. However, it didn't prove to be enough on the day as the Proteas got bundled out for 332, losing the match by a 17-run margin.

Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his phenomenal hundred and this was the 70th time that he was handed the award in international cricket. This was also Kohli's 32nd POTM award at home and it saw him shatter an all-time record. The 37-year-old has now become the player with the most POTM awards at home, surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Jacques Kallis.

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Most POTM awards in international cricket at home -

1. Virat Kohli (India) - 32 awards

2. Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 31 awards

3. Jacques Kallis (South Africa) - 31 awards

4. Ricky Ponting (Australia) - 25 awards

5. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh) - 25 awards

Kohli to play one format only

After the match, Kohli addressed rumours of him making a u-turn from his Test retirement and returning to Test cricket. He made it clear that he will only be playing one format of the game.

"That's how it's always going to be - I'm just playing one form of the game. If you've played 300-odd games and so much cricket, you know when you're hitting balls in practice, you know the reflexes are there and the physical ability is there to bat long. As long as you're hitting the ball well and playing good cricket, it's about physically fit, mentally ready and excited," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

The second ODI of the series between India and South Africa will be played on December 3 in Raipur.