Virat Kohli reaffirmed his enduring value to India’s ODI setup with a perfectly paced century that shaped his team’s 17-run victory over South Africa in the series-opener here on Sunday.
On a flat JSCA surface, Kohli (135 off 120 balls) controlled the tempo of the innings from the moment he walked in, anchoring India’s imposing 349-8 with an effort that blended classical stroke-play with calculated acceleration.
The value of Kohli’s 52nd ODI ton became even clearer during South Africa’s chase, which disintegrated at the beginning under sustained Indian pressure.
Arshdeep claims 2-64
With Harshit Rana’s (3-54) triple strike and support from pacer Arshdeep Singh (2-64) and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4-68), India always got wickets whenever Proteas threatened to get away and finally ended on 332.
Kuldeep Yadav (right) celebrates the wicket of Prenelan Subrayen
Courtesy Marco Jansen’s counter-attacking 70 and Matthew Breetzke’s composed 72, South Africa kept their fans interested but India had no trouble whatsoever in wrapping up the contest for a 1-0 lead in three-match series. Kuldeep’s twin strike in the 34th over actually became decisive after a breezy 97-run stand between Breetzke and Jansen as the wily left-arm wrist spinner removed both within a space of three deliveries.
Dew was also a factor in South Africa getting some easy runs as Indian bowlers struggled to grip the ball under lights.
Nine down, South Africa needed 18 off the last over and Prasidh Krishna ensured the hosts do not suffer a heartbreak after all the hard work by dismissing Corbin Bosch (67) with the second delivery.
RoKo’s 136-run stand
Earlier Kohli’s commanding knock came off 120 balls with seven sixes and 11 fours. His 136-run stand with Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) for the second wicket set up India’s big total.
With Kohli no longer part of T20Is, and no ODIs scheduled for India after New Zealand series in January, every outing in the format now comes with significance.
One
Virat Kohli is the only player to score 52 international centuries in a single format
Brief scores
India 349-8 in 50 overs (V Kohli 135, KL Rahul 60, R Sharma 57, R Jadeja 32; O Baartman 2-60, N Burger 2-65, C Bosch 2-66, M Jansen 2-76) beat SA 332-10 in 49.2 overs (M Breetzke 72, M Jansen 70, C Bosch 67, T de Zorzi 39, D Brevis 37; K Yadav 4-68, H Rana 3-65, A Singh 2-64) by 17 runs
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