Finance
India overcame a scare to defeat South Africa by 17 runs in the opening one-day international, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi. It was a tough battle between the hitters on both sides, and there were several lessons to be learned from the game.
India scored a dominant first innings total, with to a stunning century from Virat Kohli and crucial fifties from Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul. After being asked to bat, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early to Nandre Burger, but Rohit and Kohli immediately took over.
The experienced combination put produced a slick 136-run stand, relieving the pressure following the early loss. Rohit blasted a fast 57 from 51 balls, breaking Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for most ODI sixes, before Marco Jansen trapped him LBW.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s brief stay came to an end with a sensational catch by Dewald Brevis, and Washington Sundar added a solid 17 before losing to Ottneil Baartman. Kohli, meanwhile, remained unfazed, scoring his 52nd ODI century and 83rd international ton. He raced quickly after reaching three figures, defeating Prenelan Subrayen with two fours and two sixes.
Rahul provided solid support with a well-paced 60, adding 76 important runs alongside Kohli. After Kohli was out for 135, Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja propelled India to a huge finish with a 65-run partnership. However, a late mini-collapse, featuring wickets from Jansen and Corbin Bosch, reduced India to 349/8, which remains a difficult mark for the Proteas.
Chasing a challenging 350-run goal, South Africa were rocked early on by India’s bowling assault. Harshit Rana, given the second over, made an immediate impression with his first legal delivery. After starting wide, the pacer quickly regained his rhythm, releasing a crisp, good-length ball that jagged back into Ryan Rickelton. The South African opener offered a lazy defensive push and paid the price; his stumps were shattered, giving India the breakthrough they wanted.
Rana wasn’t done. Just a ball later, he struck again to leave the visitors stunned. Quinton de Kock, newly arrived at the crease, chased a full delivery well outside off. The ball moved away enough to catch the outside edge, and KL Rahul made no mistake behind the stumps. De Kock departed for a duck, and South Africa were reduced to early rubble.
The pressure only mounted. In the fifth over, Arshdeep Singh extended India’s dominance with a beautifully angled delivery to skipper Aiden Markram. Fishing at a ball moving away from him, Markram managed only a thick edge, and Rahul collected another clean catch. The captain fell for seven off 15, leaving South Africa three down and in deep trouble within the first few overs.
With the top-order dismantled and the required run rate towering, South Africa’s chase has wobbled heavily as India’s bowlers remained firmly in command of the contest in the first Power-play. Good strategic bowling from Prasidh Krishna to round off the 10th over handed the hosts an upper hand early in the game.
Matthew Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi anchored the innings well after the Indian bowlers dismantled the Protea top-order and went on to share a 66-run stand for the fourth wicket, but the latter’s stay ended when Kuldeep Yadav trapped him lbw.
Just then, in the 34th over, a change in bowling and the move to bring Kuldeep Yadav back into the attack worked wonders for India as the spinner dismissed the in-form Jansen and Breetzke inside three deliveries, and the Men in Blue took a sigh of relief.
With India needing just one wicket to win, Bosch kept everyone on the edge of their seats and gradually got to his half-century as the visitors hoped to finish off the chase. It all went down to the last over, with the Proteas needing 19 off the final six. But the visitors’ fight finally came to an end when a mis-hit from Bosch led to Rohit completing a fine catch to hand India a victory.
With Prasidh Krishna hitting the final nail in the coffin, India clinched a close 17-run win, eventually taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Brief scores:
India 349/8 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 135, K.L. Rahul 60; Ottneil Baartman 2-60, Nandre Burger 2-65) beat 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 15 runs
Source: IANS
