India clinched the 1st ODI of the three-match series with South Africa with a narrow margin of 17 runs. Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played exceptionally well throughout, Kohli even scored a magnificent century which played a very important part in India’s win. After the match, stand-in skipper KL Rahul, the stand-in captain for India’s ODI team, lavished praise about the veteran players – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
KL Rahul on RO-KO’s presence in the team
“It’s always fun to watch them (Kohli and Rohit) play like that, play with that freedom, that’s what they’ve done throughout their careers. I’ve seen this for a long time. For me it’s a lot more fun to have them around in the dressing room,” said Rahul.
India beats South Africa by 17 runs
India had narrowly beaten South Africa on Sunday by 17 runs in the first of the series of matches in Ranchi, and was therefore in a 1-0 lead. King Kohli was the star of the match with his 52 nd century in ODI, and both Hitman and KL Rahul also played the role of crucial supporters and showed half-centuries, which helped India to go up with the target of 350.
South Africa were put on the back foot very early when Harshit Rana bowled a very good opening spell, and left their team struggling at 11/3, but subsequently, solid alliances across Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen, and Corbin Bosch maintained the team’s position in the competition. Kuldeep Yadav’s four scalps, notably one from the rival’s best batsman, confirmed the victory for India.
