Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma picked up right where they left off and powered the Indian men's team to a huge total of 349/8 in the first innings to post a powerful target against South Africa in the first ODI here at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Sunday.
Asked to bat first, India sustained an early blow when opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed in the fourth over off Nandre Burger. However, what followed next was absolute dominance by the senior duo of Rohit and Kohli, who have shared many big partnerships in the past and helped India recover from many crises.
The stalwarts treated the Indian fans to precisely what they had come looking for, with the first innings being a perfect blend of all spices -- early dismissals, half-centuries, a magnificent ton, some resilience, plenty of runs, and back-to-back wickets to top off the dish.
The Proteas bowlers faced a stern test when they bowled to Rohit and Kohli as the top-order pair stitched a brilliant 136-run partnership for the second wicket. After a wicket in the fourth over, the visitors got a respite very late, only in the 22nd over when all-rounder Marco Jansen trapped Rohit Sharma lbw.
Kohli started the celebrations with a half-century, and Rohit joined him soon as the duo capped off some milestones during their outing. Rohit was dismissed shortly after he broke Shahid Afridi’s record to become the cricketer with the most ODI sixes as the opener walked back, scoring 57 runs off 51 deliveries.
That brought Ruturaj Gaikwad to the crease as the Chennai Super Kings captain looked to seize the opportunity while playing an ODI after two long years. However, he was stunned by his CSK teammate Dewald Brevis, who took a spectacular catch, out of the blue, to cut short the 28-year-old’s innings.
Washington Sundar started well and found the gaps at regular intervals as he proved to be an able partner to Kohli, but the all-rounder’s scratchy stay at the crease ended in the 31st over by Ottneil Baartman. KL Rahul then played a captain’s knock and went on to share a crucial 76-run stand with Kohli as the two anchored the innings.
In the meantime, Kohli got to a magnificent century, his 52nd in the format and 83rd overall. After reaching the three-figure mark, Kohli charged up and hit Prenelan Subrayen for two fours and a couple of sixes, adding 20 runs to his name in no time.
Rahul joined him in the power-hitting, and the two made merry of the conditions on offer as the opposition bowlers struggled. While the No. 3 batter looked to complete the innings unbeaten, his knock came to an end in the 43rd over when Ryan Rickelton took a fine catch while running towards cover.
After Kohli’s dismissal, Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul added 65 runs for the sixth wicket, but the end of their partnership triggered a mini collapse in the final few deliveries of the innings. While Jansen dismissed Rahul on the penultimate ball of the 49th over, Corbin Bosch picked Jadeja and Arshdeep on the fourth and fifth balls of the last over. Just like that, the Men in Blue dropped from 329/5 in 48 overs to 349/8 at the end of the innings, posting a 350-run target for the Proteas to chase.
Brief scores:
India 349/8 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 135, KL Rahul 60; Ottneil Baartman 2-60, Nandre Burger 2-65) against South Africa