At the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi, India overcame a scare and easily defeated South Africa in a close contest to win the first ODI by 17 runs and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Both teams’ batters engaged in a fierce struggle, and there were various lessons to be learned from the match.
Virat Kohli’s outstanding century and crucial fifties from Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul propelled India’s impressive first innings total. India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early to Nandre Burger after being called to bat, but Rohit and Kohli soon took charge.
After the early loss, the seasoned pair relieved the pressure with a fluid 136-run stand. Before Marco Jansen caught him leg before wicket, Rohit broke Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for the most ODI sixes with a quick 57 from 51 balls.
Dewald Brevis made a spectacular grab to terminate Ruturaj Gaikwad’s brief stay, and Washington Sundar added a steady 17 before succumbing to Ottneil Baartman. In the meantime, Kohli carried on unhindered, reaching his 83rd international century and 52nd ODI century. After hitting three figures, he accelerated quickly, hitting two fours and two sixes to take on Prenelan Subrayen.
Rahul added 76 vital runs with Kohli and offered solid assistance with a well-paced 60. Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja’s 65-run partnership helped India reach a significant finish following Kohli’s dismissal for 135. But a late mini-collapse that included wickets from Corbin Bosch and Jansen limited India to 349/8, which is still a dangerous goal for the Proteas.
South Africa were taken aback early on by India’s potent bowling arsenal as they chased a formidable 350-run mark. When given the second over, Harshit Rana immediately made an impression with his first legal delivery. The pacemaker began with a wide, but he quickly found his rhythm and produced a good-length, crisp ball that jagged back into Ryan Rickelton. India got the breakthrough they desired when the South African opener made a careless defensive push and paid the price—his stumps were broken.
Rana wasn’t finished. He struck again a ball later, leaving the guests dumbfounded. A full delivery was chased well outside off by Quinton de Kock, who had just come at the crease. KL Rahul made no mistakes behind the wickets as the ball traveled far enough to snag the outside edge. South Africa was reduced to early rubble after De Kock left for a duck.
The pressure continued to increase. With a masterfully angled delivery to captain Aiden Markram in the fifth over, Arshdeep Singh furthered India’s supremacy. Markram only managed a thick edge when fishing at a ball that was moving away from him, and Rahul made another perfect catch. Within the first few overs, South Africa was three down and in serious difficulty after the captain was dismissed for seven off fifteen.
South Africa’s chase has faltered significantly as India’s bowlers maintained a firm grip on the match in the first Power-play, with the top-order destroyed and the necessary run rate looming. Prasidh Krishna’s smart bowling to finish the tenth over gave the home team an early advantage in the match.
After the Indian bowlers destroyed the Protea top order, Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi anchored the batting with a 66-run partnership for the fourth wicket. However, the latter’s stay was cut short when Kuldeep Yadav trapped him leg before wicket.
Then, as he teamed up with Breetzke to pile on runs, Dewald Brevis shown poise and handled the bowlers well. South Africa’s middle-order hitters continued to pose a concern to the Indian bowlers, but they were able to break partnerships and strike at the right time, as Brivis and Breetzke’s partnership lasted 53 runs.
However, the tall all-rounder’s quick knock to move his team closer to victory startled and shocked the Men in Blue. As Jansen boldly faced the opposition bowlers to lower the aim, Breetzke took a backseat.
The Men in Blue breathed a sigh of relief when, in the 34th over, a change in bowling and the decision to reintroduce Kuldeep Yadav into the attack did wonders for India. The spinner dismissed the in-form Jansen and Breetzke in just three deliveries.
Bosch and Prenelan Subrayen gave their colleagues some relief in the dugout, but Kuldeep claimed his fourth wicket of the day by dismissing the former in the last over of his delivery. Bosch and Burger did their best to extend the match, but Arshdeep’s late 46th over strike to remove the latter kept the score tied.
Bosch had everyone on the edge of their seats and steadily reached his half-century as the visitors hoped to complete the chase, as India just needed one wicket to win. The Proteas needed 19 off the final six, and it all came down to the final over. However, Bosch’s mis-hit caused Rohit to make a beautiful catch, ending the visitors’ struggle and giving India the win.
India won by a narrow margin of 17 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the series after Prasidh Krishna put the last nail in the coffin.
Short scores:
India defeated South Africa 332 all out in 49.2 overs (Matthew Breetzke 72, Marco Jansen 70, Corbin Bosch 67, Tony de Zorzi 39, Dewald Brevis 37, Kuldeep Yadav 4-68, Harshit Rana 3-65, Arshdeep Singh 2-64) by 17 runs in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 135, K.L. Rahul 60, Ottneil Baartman 2-65, and Nandre Burger 2-65).
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