IND vs SA | Virat Kohli ton takes limelight in Ranchi as bits and pieces Proteas succumb in first ODI

Brief score: IND 349/8 (50) [Kohli 135(120), Rahul 60(56); Baartman 2/60 (10)] defeat SA 332 (49.2) [Breetzke 72(80), Jansen 70(39); Kuldeep 4/68 (10)] by 17 runs

Asked to bat first, India got off to a rocking start as Yashasvi Jaiswal began proceedings with a thumping boundary off Marco Jansen. The youngster doubled his tally in the next over off Nandre Burger before launching Jansen for the first six of the game. However, his wings were snipped before he could take full flight by a Burger pearler that kissed the outside edge and was pocketed safely behind the stumps. Virat Kohli joined Rohit Sharma at the crease and endured a nervy start when Burger found his outside edge albeit for four. However, it was all smooth sailing thereafter for the experienced campaigners as they launched into a spree of boundaries. Kohli brought out the range from point to square leg, smashing two sixes in the powerplay, while Rohit pierced infields to take the team to 80/1 in 10. The Proteas managed to lull Rohit once amidst the chaos but Tony de Zorzi let down a sitter on the fence, and there was no looking back. Rohit welcomed the spinner Prenalen Subrayen with back-to-back maximums, while Kohli meted the same treatment to Corbin Bosch. The partnership raced to 136 in just 109 deliveries as Rohit brought up a 43-ball half-century before holing out, leaving India well stationed at 161/2 after 21.2. Ruturaj Gaikwad, filling in for the injured Shreyas Iyer, could not make the most of his opportunity, as he succumbed to a one-handed Dewald Brevis stunner at point, shortly before Washington Sundar tried to force matters and ended a 19-ball stay to suddenly set India back to 198/4 in the 31st over. Nevertheless, Kohli kept motoring along at the other end albeit the boundaries dried up, with KL Rahul also struggling for rhtyhm to begin. The Proteas clinched some momentum with a seven-over spell for just 30, but the tidings changed once Kohli brought up a 52nd ODI ton in 102 balls with a boundary in the 38th over. The 37-year-old tore into Subrayen the next over, smashing him for two maximums sandwiched between two boundaries before walloping Baartman for a couple of boundaries immediately after. The talisman finally holed out in the 43rd over off Burger for a 120-ball 135, with India's score 277/5. Rahul, who had ambled along to 26 in 37 until this point, took over the onus with two maximums off Burger and Ravindra Jadeja joined the effort with a quick start of his own, the two sitthcing a 65-run stand in just 36 balls to help take India to 349/8.

In response, the Proteas were broken early as Harshit Rana produced an unplayable peach first up to clean up Ryan Rickelton for a golden duck, two balls before an away-seamer took Quinton de Kock's outside edge in a sensational over. Arhdeep Singh trippled the whammy by nicking off Aiden Markram as the Proteas found themselves reeling at 11/3. Nevertheless, Tony de Zorzi and Matthew Breetzke tried to flip momentum with eight boundaries across the next four overs to get to a respectable powerplay score of 47/3. The partnership measuredly grew to 66 at less than run-a-ball and was beginning to bring the visitors back into the game when Kuldeep Yadav beat de Zorzi with guile and turn to send him packing for a 35-ball 39. Regardless, Breetzke kept the fun going with a maximum the very next over, and Dewald Brevis was never one to back away from a party. Two sixes off Jadeja were followed by a disdainful no-look hit against Rana as Brevis raced past 30 in double quick time. However, the right-arm quick had the last laugh when he strung together three dot balls to eventually have Brevis holed out for 37 in 28 balls, the Proteas 130/5 with the required rate 7.7. Breetzke soon after brought up a 55-ball fifty and seemed set to take charge of proceedings, until Jansen lifted his hand. The towering all-rounder began the blitz with 15 runs off a Kuldeep over, then smashed Prasidh Krishna for back-to-back sixes, and in no time had brought up a 26-ball fifty. More brutality followed as Rahul scrambled around his bowling options in depserate search of a wicket but by the time Kuldeep turned up with the trump card, Jansen had managed 70 in 39 leaving the Proteas a gettable 123 in 17 overs. However, to their horror, Breetzke departed just two balls laer for 72 to leave India completely on top. Nevertheless, Bosch strung along Subrayen and Burger with 42-run stands each, the two tailenders scoring an identical 17 to stretch the game deep. Arshdeep tightened screws with a wicket maiden in the 47th to leave 38 needed in three overs. Bosch brought up a 40-ball fifty with 11 in the next over and a six early in Arshdeep's over brought it down to 19 of 10 but a strong riposte left 18 needed still in Krishna's final over. Bosch lasted just two before skying one, and India clinched a 17-run triumph.

Wel Played!

What a shot!

Fifty Loading!

RO-KO

King!

OG!

Moment!

Excellent!