NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli’s 52nd ODI century, Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets and Harshit Rana’s three-wicket burst secured India a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI on Sunday.India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second game will be played in Raipur on Wednesday.
Kohli produced a brilliant hundred that set up India’s total of 349 for eight on a flat JSCA pitch. His 135 off 120 balls helped India control the innings after an early wicket, and his partnership of 136 with Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) gave the hosts a solid base. Kohli reached his hundred with a boundary off Marco Jansen, prompting a pitch invasion by a spectator. With this hundred, Kohli went past Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 Test hundreds to become the batter with the most hundreds in a single format, now holding 52 ODI centuries.Rohit crossed a personal mark as well, hitting his 352nd six in ODIs, moving past Shahid Afridi’s tally of 351. KL Rahul added 60 off 56 balls later in the innings.South Africa’s chase began on the back foot as Harshit Rana (3/54) dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock in the space of three deliveries. Arshdeep Singh (2/64) removed Aiden Markram for 7, leaving South Africa at 11 for 3 in the fifth over.Tony de Zorzi (39 off 35) and Matthew Breetzke (72) added 66 runs for the fourth wicket before Kuldeep Yadav trapped de Zorzi lbw to make it 77 for 4. Dew was present through the evening, affecting India’s grip on the ball and allowing South Africa to score more freely.Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) hit three sixes, but Rana removed him to make it 130 for 5. Breetzke and Marco Jansen then added 97 runs to keep the chase alive. Jansen made 70 and Breetzke reached 72, but Kuldeep’s double strike in the 34th over — removing both batters within three deliveries — shifted the game again.India maintained pressure in the final overs. South Africa needed 18 runs in the last over with one wicket left. Prasidh Krishna dismissed Corbin Bosch (67) with his second delivery to end the match with South Africa on 332 in 49.2 overs.The Rohit-Kohli stand also offered India confidence about their senior players’ roles going forward.
