Virat Kohli continued his record-breaking run in ODI cricket, scoring a 52nd one-day century to lead India to a thrilling 17-run win over South Africa in the first match of the series on Sunday. Kohli’s 135 came off 120 balls, forming a crucial second-wicket partnership of 136 with Rohit Sharma, who contributed 57, to set India on course for 349-8 at Ranchi.
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South Africa fought valiantly in their chase, with Corbin Bosch scoring 67 off 51 balls. The visitors came agonizingly close, needing just 18 runs off the final over with one wicket remaining, but Bosch fell on the second ball of the 50th over to leave South Africa all out for 332. Earlier, Matthew Breetzke (72) and Marco Jansen (70) staged a strong sixth-wicket stand of 97 after South Africa slumped to 11-3 and then 77-4, keeping hopes alive.
Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler for India, taking 4-68 in the high-scoring contest. His decisive double strike, removing Jansen and Breetzke in three balls, turned the match in India’s favour.
Kohli’s innings marked his 83rd international hundred across all formats. He reached his century with a boundary off Jansen and celebrated with the home crowd in Ranchi, where an overexcited fan briefly breached security to touch his feet before being removed. With this century, Kohli extended his record for the most ODI hundreds, surpassing Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, who has 49 ODI tons.
Rohit Sharma also made history in the match, hitting three sixes in his 51-ball knock to reach 352 career sixes in ODIs, overtaking Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi. The duo, both retired from T20 and Test cricket, now focus exclusively on 50-over cricket, providing much-needed experience and stability to the Indian batting lineup, led by KL Rahul in the absence of Shubman Gill.
India lost opener Yashasvi Jaiswal early for 18, but Kohli and Sharma steadied the innings before taking control of the scoring. Kohli accelerated after reaching his hundred, punishing off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen for two fours and two sixes in the 21-run 39th over. He eventually fell to Nandre Burger, caught by Ryan Rickelton, after an innings that included 11 fours and seven sixes.
Other contributors for India included KL Rahul with 60 off 56 balls and Ravindra Jadeja, who added 32 off 20, helping India post a challenging total for South Africa.
The series now shifts to Raipur, where the second ODI is scheduled for Wednesday. India will look to build on this strong start and maintain momentum as Kohli and Sharma continue to anchor the batting, while the team’s bowlers aim to maintain the pressure in the chase.
Kohli’s record-extending century and India’s combined efforts showcase their depth, experience, and ability to perform under pressure, giving fans plenty to look forward to in the remainder of the series.
