Virat Kohli's century puts India 1-0 up despite Faf du Plessis hundred
Sunday 4 February 2018 14:29, UK
Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane shared a 189-run third wicket partnership and took India to a comfortable six-wicket win in the first one-day international against South Africa at Kingsmead.
Kohli made 112 - extending his record of centuries in one-day run chases to 20 - and Rahane scored 79 as India reached the winning target of 270 with 27 balls to spare.
Live One-Day International Cricket
The tourists ended a sequence of 17 successive home wins by South Africa and comprehensively outplayed the team that went into the match as the top-ranked one-day international team.
Second-ranked India controlled most of the match despite a century by South Africa captain Faf du Plessis.
India's decision to pick two wrist spinners paid off as Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav shared five wickets and were mainly responsible for restricting South Africa to 269-8.
Du Plessis made 120 off 112 balls but it was only late in the innings that South Africa were able to lift their scoring rate on a slow pitch after slumping to 134-5 in 27.5 overs.
Du Plessis shared partnerships of 74 with Chris Morris and 56 with Andile Phehlukwayo for the sixth and seventh wickets. Leg-spinner Chahal took 2-45 and left-arm wrist spinner Yadav took 3-45.
There was a scare for India early in the South African innings when Kohli jarred his left knee when attempting a sliding stop on a soft outfield, straining his groin in the process, but showed no ill-effects from the injury while batting.
Du Plessis reached his ninth one-day international century off 101 balls with 11 fours and added two sixes before being caught at long-off in the last over after a 112-ball innings.
Watch South Africa's one-day international series against India live on Sky Sports Cricket.
