New Delhi, December 1, 2025
India started the three-match ODI series against South Africa with a thrilling 17-run victory at the JSCA Stadium on Sunday, powered by Virat Kohli’s magnificent century, Kuldeep Yadav’s four-wicket burst, and a sharp three-for from Harshit Rana. With the win, India took a 1-0 lead in the series. The second ODI will be played in Raipur on Wednesday.
Kohli goes past Tendulkar with his 52nd ODI hundred
Virat Kohli played one of his finest one-day innings, scoring 135 off 120 balls, guiding India to a strong 349/8 on a flat Ranchi pitch.
Kohli reached his century with a boundary off Marco Jansen, triggering a pitch invasion by a fan.
With this hundred, he surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s 51 Test tons, becoming the player with the most hundreds in a single format (52 ODI centuries).
His partnership of 136 runs with captain Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) gave India early control of the innings.
Rohit also created history by hitting his 352nd ODI six, overtaking Shahid Afridi’s tally of 351.
KL Rahul later added a brisk 60 off 56 balls, ensuring India finished strongly.
South Africa’s chase derailed early
South Africa’s reply began poorly:
Harshit Rana dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock within three balls.
Arshdeep Singh removed skipper Aiden Markram, leaving SA reeling at 11/3 in just the fifth over.
Tony de Zorzi (39) and Matthew Breetzke (72) tried to rebuild, adding 66 runs, but Kuldeep Yadav trapped de Zorzi lbw to break the stand.
Despite the heavy dew affecting India’s grip, South Africa continued to fight.
Kuldeep turns the match again
Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) threatened briefly with three sixes, but Rana dismissed him to make it 130/5.
The biggest twist came when:
Breetzke and Marco Jansen (70) added an impressive 97-run stand, bringing SA back into the contest.
In the 34th over, Kuldeep Yadav removed both Jansen and Breetzke within three deliveries, swinging momentum back to India.
Kuldeep finished with impressive figures of 4/62.
Final-over drama
South Africa kept fighting until the end, thanks to Corbin Bosch’s attacking 67.
They needed 18 runs in the final over with one wicket in hand.
Prasidh Krishna ended the suspense by dismissing Bosch with his second delivery, bowling out South Africa for 332 in 49.2 overs.
Summary: Match-winning contributions
India
Virat Kohli — 135 (120)
Rohit Sharma — 57 (51)
KL Rahul — 60 (56)
Kuldeep Yadav — 4/62
Harshit Rana — 3/54
Prasidh Krishna — Match-clinching final over
South Africa
Matthew Breetzke — 72
Marco Jansen — 70
Corbin Bosch — 67
Dewald Brevis — 37
Tony de Zorzi — 39
Result:
India won by 17 runs
India lead the series 1-0
