Kohli, Harshit and Kuldeep shine as India go 1-0 ahead

India clinched a thrilling 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI at Ranchi, thanks to outstanding performances by Virat Kohli, Harshit Rana and Kuldeep Yadav. India posted 349 for 8, mainly driven by Kohli’s brilliant 135, alongside valuable contributions from KL Rahul (60) and Rohit Sharma (57). Rohit created history by surpassing Shahid Afridi’s world record for most ODI sixes while Kohli extended his record for the most ODI centuries. Their 136-run partnership provided the ideal start for India, especially during the powerplay when both aggressively tackled the new ball.

After Rohit fell soon after reaching his fifty, India’s scoring slowed due to the pitch becoming tricky as the ball softened. Kohli adapted, focusing on singles before shifting gears to finish strong once he completed his century. Rahul supported well in the latter stages, taking India’s six count to 16 and guiding them to a competitive total.

The toss again went against India – their 19th consecutive loss in ODIs – and conditions under lights heavily favoured batting due to dew. But Harshit Rana changed the course early with two key wickets in his first over, dismissing Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks. Arshdeep Singh added another, leaving South Africa reeling at 11 for 3.

Despite the shaky start, South Africa kept fighting. Partnerships of 66, 60 and 97 kept them in the hunt, with Marco Jansen (70), Matthew Breetzke (72) and later Corbin Bosch (67) playing crucial knocks. As dew made bowling even harder, Kuldeep struck in the deciding moment, dismissing both Jansen and Breetzke in the same over to relieve pressure on India.

Yet Bosch refused to give up and brought South Africa close, needing just 19 off 10 balls with one wicket in hand. However, Arshdeep’s precise yorkers in the final overs and Prasidh Krishna troubling with full tosses helped India seal the win. Despite South Africa’s spirited fightback and Bosch’s impressive bowling at the death, India managed to hold their nerve and go 1-0 up in the series after a gripping contest.