Raipur, Dec 2 (IANS) With both teams gaining several positives from the series opener in Ranchi, the forthcoming games will be mouth-watering affairs to watch, and it will start with India and South Africa squaring off in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma ended the Australia series with a superb century, while Virat Kohli bounced back from two ducks with a solid fifty. In the opening match of the ODI series against South Africa, the duo rose to the occasion again with another memorable partnership, much to the crowd’s delight.

The hosts defeated South Africa by 17 runs in a thrilling first ODI in Ranchi to take a 1-0 series lead. Batting first, India posted a strong 349/8, powered by Virat Kohli’s sublime 135, his 52nd ODI hundred, and well-crafted fifties from Rohit Sharma (57) and KL Rahul (60).

Rohit and Kohli rebuilt after an early loss with a 136-run stand, while contributions from Rahul and Jadeja in the middle-order pushed India to a formidable total despite a late collapse triggered by Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch.

South Africa’s chase faltered early as Harshit Rana struck twice in two deliveries, removing Rickelton and de Kock. Arshdeep Singh added to the pressure by dismissing skipper Markram, leaving the visitors reeling at the top.

Middle-order resistance came through Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, and Dewald Brevis, who built key partnerships, but Kuldeep Yadav repeatedly broke South Africa’s momentum, finishing with four crucial wickets.

Jansen’s explosive innings revived the Proteas’ hopes, and Bosch’s fighting fifty took the game to the last over with 19 needed. However, Prasidh Krishna removed Bosch to seal India’s hard-fought win. Strong partnerships, timely wickets, and disciplined death bowling helped India edge out the Proteas in a close contest.

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continue to dominate attention every time India play an ODI. As two of the most prominent figures in modern cricket, and now focusing solely on this format, their performances naturally take centre stage.

For many spectators, such moments will feel even more special since Raipur rarely hosts international games, and there is no telling when they might see the pair in action again. With both stalwarts hoping to extend their international careers for a couple more years, fans are savouring every opportunity to watch them, especially after their recent run of strong scores.

India, though, will expect more from younger batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who didn’t quite make an impact on their return to ODIs. While Jaiswal opened the game alongside Rohit, Gaikwad found a place in India’s XI, ahead of Rishabh Pant, for the first time in almost two years.

And while India let South Africa claw back into the chase after picking four wickets early in the game, credit must go to Breetzke, Jansen, and Bosch for showing real fight. Had they held firm in the final overs, the chase of 350 could have been theirs.

Though the Men in Blue secured a victory, they were left pondering several questions about their batting in the death overs and their bowling in the middle overs. With the first ODI completed, South Africa’s next challenge is clear — put a halt to the Rohit-Kohli partnership if they aim to win the series.

When: Wednesday, December 3, 1:30 PM IST

Where: Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur

Where to watch: Star Sports Network for live TV broadcast and JioHotstar for live streaming

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (c) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel

South Africa: Temba Bavuma (captain), Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Quinton de Kock, Tony de Zorzi, Rubin Hermann, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Ryan Rickelton, Prenelan Subrayen

–IANS

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