Former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli once again performed brilliantly under pressure and scored his 52nd ODI century in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi on Sunday. This century is also the 7000th international century in men’s cricket.
India had lost opener Rohit Sharma (57 runs off 51 balls) after a brilliant half-century. Rohit-Kohli pair made an important partnership of 136 runs in 109 balls, which laid a strong base for India. Rohit also hit three sixes in his innings.
After Rohit’s dismissal, India’s innings faltered a bit when Ruturaj Gaikwad and Washington Sundar were dismissed cheaply. The run rate slowed down and South Africa tried to make a comeback.
However, Kohli remained firm. He started quietly, but then shifted gears when needed and built his innings brick by brick. This century came in the 38th over, when he brilliantly guided the ball of all-rounder Marco Jensen over third man.
The ball crossed the boundary and Kohli celebrated loudly by punching the air. At the other end, KL Rahul remained calm and rotated the strike and allowed Kohli to take charge. With overs left and depth in the batting lineup, India look in a good position to score over 300 runs.