Ranchi: ODI’s No. 1 India carved out a hard-fought 17-run victory in a T20-style thriller to go 1-0 up in the ODI series against South Africa, riding on stellar performances from Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana.
South Africa’s chase of a mammoth 350 came remarkably close as seven of their batters mounted a fierce fight, pushing India to the brink. But timely strikes from Indian bowlers ensured the visitors were eventually bowled out for 332 in 49.2 overs. Krishna claimed the final wicket — also his first of the innings.
The key contributors in South Africa’s spirited chase were: Breitzke (72), Jansen (70), Corbin Bosch (67), de Zorzi (39), Brevis (37), Subrayen (17) and Burger (17).
Earlier, Kuldeep took four wickets, Harshit picked up three, and Arshdeep claimed two. Kuldeep was instrumental in breaking South Africa’s biggest partnerships. He first snapped de Zorzi and Breitzke’s 66-run stand for the fourth wicket. Later, after Harshit broke the 53-run stand between Breitzke and Brevis, Kuldeep returned to dismiss Breitzke and Jansen, ending their strong 97-run partnership built off just 69 deliveries.
South Africa were well-placed at 227/5, but Kuldeep’s double strike in three balls suddenly pushed them to 228/7, turning the game decisively.
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India post imposing 349
Opting to bat first, India piled up 349/8 in their 50 overs. Virat Kohli led the charge with a majestic 135 off 120 deliveries, hitting seven sixes and eleven fours. KL Rahul’s 60 (56 balls), Rohit Sharma’s 57 (51 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja’s useful 32 all contributed to the formidable total.
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For South Africa, Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, Corbin Bosch and Ottniel Bartman picked up two wickets each. India lost three wickets — Rahul, Jadeja and Arshdeep — in the final seven balls of the innings. Yashasvi (18), Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) couldn’t convert their starts.
India now take a confident lead in the series after a gripping battle in Ranchi.
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