Reuters
Kanpur, Oct 11: AB de Villiers and Rohit Sharma enhanced personal reputations with scintillating centuries but it was the timely interventions of South African bowlers that secured the visitors’ five-run win over India in the first one-dayer here Sunday.
De Villiers’ unbeaten century (104 n o, 73b, 5×4, 6×6) provided the late impetus as South Africa posted 303 for five, the highest team total at the Green Park Stadium, after deciding to bat first.
Rohit Sharma (150, 133b, 13×4, 6×6) led India’s strong reply with a brilliant century before leg-spinner Imran Tahir (2/57) turned the run feast on its head by claiming two wickets in his final over. Paceman Kagiso Rabada (2/58) then dismissed two Indian batsmen in two deliveries in the final over to put South Africa 1-0 up in the five-match series. India needed 22 runs of the last two overs with five wickets in hand and Dale Steyn conceded 11 runs before 20-year-old Rabada claimed back-to-back wickets to restrict the hosts to 298 for seven.
Containing De Villiers is one of the toughest jobs in international cricket and India were severely handicapped when their strike bowler Ravichandran Ashwin(1/14) left the field after sending down only 4.4 overs.
De Villiers did not hit a boundary in the first 33 balls he faced but was unstoppable when he got going. The right-hander clobbered his sixth six off the final ball of the innings to bring up his 21st ODI century as South Africa plundered 109 runs from the last 10 overs.
When India came out to bat, Sharma added 149 runs with Ajinkya Rahane (60, 82b. 5×4) and the hosts looked on course to chase down the target without any fuss. Sharma hit six sixes and 13 boundaries before giving a return catch to Tahir who dismissed Suresh Raina in the same over. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (31) struggled throughout his scratchy knock and fell in the final over.
Score board
South Africa: Q de Kock c Raina b Ashwin 29, H Amla b Mishra 37, F du Plessis lbw b Yadav 62, AB de Villiers n o 104, D Miller st Dhoni b Mishra 13, JP Duminy c Dhoni b Yadav 15, F Behardien n o 35, Extras: (LB-3, W-5) 8, Total: (for five wkts; 50 overs) 303
Fall: 1/45, 2/104, 3/152, 4/197, 5/238, Bowling: Kumar 10-0-67-0, Yadav 10-0-71-2, Ashwin 4.4-0-14-1, Mishra 10-0-47-2, Binny 8-0-63-0, Raina 7-0-37-0, Kohli 0.2-0-1-0.
India: R Sharma c and b Tahir 150, S Dhawan lbw b Morkel 23, A Rahane c Miller b Behardien 60, V Kohli c Morkel b Steyn 11, M Dhoni c & b Rabada 31, S Raina c Duminy b Tahir 3, S Binny c Amla b Rabada 2, B Kumar n o 1, A Mishra n o 0, Extras: (LB-4, W-13) 17, Total: (For seven wkts, 50 overs) 298
Fall: 1/42, 2/191, 3/214, 4/269, 5/273, 6/297, 7/297, Bowling: Steyn 10-0-54-1, Rabada 10-0-58-2, Behardien 6-0-38-1, Morkel 10-0-51-1, Duminy 4-0-36-0, Tahir 10-0-57-2.
