India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was all praise for Harshit Rana, who picked up three wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series against South Africa. Rana proved to be phenomenal with the new ball as he dismissed both Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks in the very first over of South Africa's innings. He then went on to take the crucial wicket of Dewald Brevis for 37 runs as the Men in Blue emerged victorious by 37 runs.
Kotak highlighted how important it was for India to get those early wickets and remarked that if it wasn't for Harshit's opening spell, then South Africa could have gotten off to a great start especially with there being heavy dew at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi.
“I think 350 on the same surface, if they were batting, then 350 would definitely be enough. But after so much dew, the bowler can’t even hold the ball properly. The ball is skidding off the wicket and coming straight onto the bat. I think a lot of credit goes to Harshit as well for taking those early wickets, because otherwise it would have been quite easy for them to score runs in such heavy dew,” Kotak said in the post-match press-conference.
“So, after losing the toss and still winning this game, I think it’s very creditable. I think he was moving the ball well, he was hitting the right areas in the early innings because a Kookaburra ball probably swings for two, four, maybe five overs. So, I think he made the most of it,” he added.
Kuldeep stars with 4 wickets
Despite Harshit's brilliant display with the ball, Kuldeep Yadav was India's top performer in the bowling department. He recorded figures of 4/68 in his 10-over spell and massively helped the team in bundling out the Proteas for 332 runs. Arshdeep Singh also contributed well with figures of 2/63 as the Men in Blue took a 1-0 lead in the series.
Virat Kohli's heroics in 1st ODI
Earlier, Virat Kohli had brought up his 83rd century in international cricket and had played a sensational knock of 135 to help India post a gigantic total of 349/8 on the board in 50 overs. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul also gave valiant contributions with their knocks of 57 and 60 respectively. The Indian team have gotten off to a great start of the series and they will have the chance of takking an unassialable 2-0 lead in the second game that will be played on December 3 in Raipur.