KL Rahul's ODI captaincy debut ended on a losing note as South Africa won the first of the three-match series against India by 31 runs in Paarl.
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Updated: 23 Jan 2022 11:56 am
Catch highlights and cricket scores of the first ODI match between South Africa and India in Paarl. South Africa won by 31 runs and took a 1-0 lead.
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The famed Indian batting line-up failed to turn up against a disciplined South African bowling attack on Wednesday at Boland Park, Paarl. Chasing a target of 297 runs, India lost the stand-in skipper KL Rahul early, but comeback-man Shikhar Dhawan (79 off 84) and former captain Virat Kohli (51 off 63) kept the visitors in the hunt with a 90+ stand for the second wicket. Dhawan fell next and opened the floodgates as India never truly came back in the game. Towards the end, Shardul Thakur hit an unbeaten 50 off 43. But it was too little, too late. Earlier, Temba Bavuma won and opted to bat first. The Proteas skipper and Rassie van der Dussen hit contrasting tons. The second match will be played at the same venue on Friday.
The so called 'inexperienced' South African team surprises India once again on the tour. They not only take 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, but also keep the Indian side at bay as it is India's third consecutive loss on the tour (2 in Tests, 1 in ODIs).
That's it! South Africa have won the game by 31 runs. Meanwhile, Shardul Thakur races to his maiden ODI fifty which came off just 43 balls. He played a good knock indeed, but you have to admit the match was over well before.
Shardul Thakur is having some fun here. Some hits and misses see him score 16 runs off the 48th over bowled from Lungi Ngidi. He has a good chance to score his maiden ODI fifty.
India need 67 runs off the last 24 balls. South Africa are well in control of the game and would look to wrap it up as soon as possible.
Another one bites the dust. Tabraiz Shamsi gives a half volley to Bhuvneshwar Kumar who simply flicks it into the hands of Temba Bavuma at short mid-on.
India 214/8 after 43 overs
Marco Jansen bowled an economical over. He almost had his maiden ODI wicket on the fourth ball of the over but David Miller dropped a sitter at short cover to see Bhuvneshwar survive.
India 214/7 after 42 overs
8 runs came off the last over bowled by Andile Phehlukwayo. Before the Indians could look for a chance from here on, Temba Bavuma has introduced Marco Jansen back into the attack.
India need 94 runs in the final 60 balls. A lot to ask from the pair of Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to be honest, especially when you know you have Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal coming in next.
Meanwhile, the South African bowlers are making sure India stay out of the game.
Andile Phehlukwayo has cleaned up Ravichandran Ashwin. Lack of bounce does the trick here as Ashwin chopped the ball, which was well outside off, on his stumps. South Africa can now smell the blood of victory. However, they still need the last three wickets to make it happen. Bhuvneshwar Kumar comes in next.
India 199/7 after 38.3 overs
What a waste of opportunity from Venkatesh Iyer! He had his moment to become a hero, but the lack of experience got the better of him.
Lungi Ngidi kept a fielder at the deep square leg and tested Venkatesh's patience with a short ball and the latter fell prey to it by handing an easy catch to Rassie van der Dussen there.
India 188/6 after 36 overs
From 138/1 to 182/5, India have certainly given South Africa a big advantage in the past 10 overs. Being 185/5 after 35 overs, they need 112 runs off the last 90 balls to win the game. All eyes on ODI debutant Venkatesh Iyer now.
That's excelllent wicketkeeping from Quinton de Kock. Andile Phehlukwayo bowled it down the leg side and Rishabh Pant missed the glance shot, but de Kock didn't miss, neither the ball nor the stumps.
India 182/5 after 34 overs
Another wicket for South Africa and this time Shreyas Iyer is the man to depart. A bouncer from Lungi Ngidi and Iyer fails to play it under his eyes and edges it to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps.
India 181/4 after 33.5 overs
Not a good first over for Andile Phehlukwayo as he gives away 9 runs off it. This was a much-needed breather for Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.
India 177/3 after 33 overs
Pressure is all over India now. And had Temba Bavuma held on to the dropped catch in the last over, Risbhabh Pant too would have lost his wicket.
Men in Blue need 137 runs in 19 overs.
Oh! No. You can call it a commentator's curse as just when it seemed that Kohli did a commendable job, he edged the ball of Tabraiz Shamsi seconds later to lose his wicket.
India, 152/3 after 28.2 overs, in deep trouble.
That’s the 63rd fifty for the ODI giant in the format. There was a lot of talking on how Kohli would play in the game after stepping down from full-time captaincy for the first time. But the smoothness of Kohli’s batting remains intact. Widely known as 'King' for a reason!
That's a big wicket for South Africa. Keshaw Maharaj beats Dhawan against the run of play and India are 138/2 in 25.3 overs.
Dhawan tried to play a cut shot but missed the delivery of Maharaj and paid the price. Rishabh Pant comes next.
Shikhar Dhawan is happy playing the lead role and Kohli duly accompanies him by rotating the strike from the other end. India have scored 117/1 by the end of 22 overs. Needless to say South Africa need some quick wickets to stay in the game.
Just two runs came off the 20th over bowled by Keshav Maharaj. India won't mind it as long as the Kohli-Dhawan partnership goes on.
India 104/1 after 20 overs. Tabraiz Shamsi comes into the attack.
India are 102/1 after 19 overs. They going good in the chase. The pair of Dhawan-Kohli has added 56 runs since the fall of KL Rahul. Dhawan is unbeaten on 64 and Kohli also looks well settled on 24.
India are scoring at a decent rate. The introduction of Ngidi has certainly eased up things a bit for the Men in Blue as spinners are looking more effective on this track.
Shikhar Dhawan races to his 34th ODI fifty. It came off just 51 balls. He played good cricket but he has also been lucky so far in the innings.
India 74/1 after 14 overs
Marco Jansen didn't get much support from the pitch as the South African spinners are getting. Let's see how it fares for Ngidi.
India 67/1 at the start of 13th over
Keshav Maharaj started on a bad note as he sprayed one down the leg side to Dhawan. The southpaw gleefully accepted the offer and hit it for a boundary. However, Maharaj gave away only one run in the rest 5 balls.
India 55/1 after 10 overs
A soft dismissal for KL Rahul ... and Aiden Markram gets the prize for his tenacity. Kept bowling tight lines and finally produced one edge off KL Rahul's willow. Good collection from de Kock behind the stumps.
Guess who comes next? ... Yes, it's the former India skipper Virat Kohli.
India 50/1 after 9 overs
That's a good start from India as they score 24 runs in the first 5 overs.
Apart from Shikhar Dhawan gettting an inside edge on the ball of Marco Jansen in the second over of the innings, things have seemed under control for India.
Aiden Markram bowls a decent first over, just 2 came off it.
Hello folks! We are back into the second innings. India will look to get 297 as KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan begin the chase.
Aiden Markram to bowl the first over.
South Africa seem to be favourites from here, considering the way the pitch has played so far. However, that doesn't mean India are too behind in the game. A lot will depend on the opening partnership of the Men in Blue as stand-in skipper KL Rahul will be seen joining hands with Shikhar Dhawan at the top. Excited???
See you guys soon in the next innings :)
South Africa did well to capitalize on the platform laid by the two of van der Dussen and Bavuma. They played some quality cricket to eventually get to a big score.
For India, Jasprit Bumrah was the star in the first innings with figures of 2/48, while Shardul Thakur conceded at 7.2 per over without any wicket.
That's the end of 50 overs and South Africa have posted more than a fighting total on the board. Rassie van der Dussen remains unbeaten on 129 off 96 balls. His innings included 9 fours and 4 sixes. Meanwhile, his partner David Miller didn't get any chance to showcase his pyrotechnics and he returns with a run-a-ball 2.
Jasprit Bumrah dismisses Temba Bavuma. The South African skipper plays a length ball direct into the hands of KL Rahul at long on. He departs after a well-made 110 off 143 balls.
SA 273/4 after 48.1 overs
He gets there. Second ODI century for Rassie van der Dussen and he keeps proving his mettle at the biggest stage. And this time, they are the Indians who are at the receiving end of his batting prowess.
SA 272/3 after 48 overs
That's a brilliant over from Bumrah. Didn't give the batters any chance to go for big hits, this is what makes this India speedster special. SA 259/3 after 47 overs.
This is just wow batting from the duo of Bavuma (100*) and van der Dussen (93*). They have added 177 runs for the fourth wicket. Will this partnership decide the fate of the game? A lot will unravel in the coming time.
Bhuvneshwar back into attack. South Africa take a break as Bavumna seems to have some problem on his right hand.
...Here, we resume
That's second ODI hundred for Temba Bavuma. What a knock under pressure! Take a bow captain.
Note: Bavuma had scored his only ODI hundred before this way back in 2016.
12 runs came off Shardul Thakur's over. South Africa are cruising at 234/3. If they continue going at this pace, a total of over 300 won't be surprising. Meanwhile, the body lanuguage of the Indians players seems as if they are waiting for the batters to do some mistake and gift their wickets.
40 overs have been bowled and the partnership between Bavuma and van der Dussen goes to 142 off 135 balls. This partnership not only took South Africa out of hot waters, but made their case really strong in the game. Bavuma is unbeaten on 89, while van der Dussen is not out on 70.
South Africa have reached 200/3 after 38.1 overs. They have 71 balls in hand and even if they score a-run-ball from here, the target for India is going to be a tough one.
Yuzendra Chahal ends his quota of 10 overs after conceding 53 runs. He can call himself unlucky to conclude without a wicket in this game. SA 182/3
A brilliant knock from Rassie van der Dussen here. Races to his 10th ODI fifty off just 49 balls. Believe me this pitch is not so easy to bat on as this man is making it look like ... And he gets four extra runs for ovethrow after Shreyas Iyer's attempt to run out Temba Bavuma went in vain.
SA 181/ 3 after 35 overs
From reverse sweep to conventional sweep, Rassie van der Dussen has done really well to counter the drift and turn Yuzvendra Chahal is getting in the game. Despite some close calls, van der Dussen has made sure the scoreboard keeps ticking. He is not out on run-a-ball 44.
On the other hand, it's not Chahal's day for sure! SA 155/3 after 32 overs
The Proteas reach to 150 off 30.4 overs.The return of Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar in bowling has failed to create any problem for South Africa so far. Both Bavuma and van der Dussen look well settled and now it's their time to enjoy the game.
SA 151/3 after 31 overs
South Africa seem to be in the driver's seat as of now, thanks to the effort of Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen. The duo has done well to add 80 runs for the fourth wicket that too off just 75 balls. India need wickets, badly.
Temba Bavuma races to his third ODI fifty off 76 balls. A good knock indeed! He must to look to capitalize on it now with van der Dussen continuing his fast-paced knock from the other end.
SA 133/3 after 28 overs
Some good intent from the two of Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen has helped South Africa improve to 118/3. They have scored 38 runs in the last 5 overs. And, meanwhile, the partnership between the two is of 50 runs.
Many oohs and aahs as the Indian spinner are bolwing on this pitch. India know the challenges they would face in the second innings when they come to bat, hence they are keeping it really tight here.
The deliveries of Yuzvendra Chahal are doing a lot in the air and off the pitch as well. A wicket to him seems to be just a matter of time. SA 76/3 after 19 overs.
Oh! What a throw that is from the ODI debutant Venkatesh Iyer. Aiden Markram tried to steal a single by nudging the ball in from of Venkatesh who was stationed at mid-off and the Indian fielder hit the bull's eye to cut short Markram's stint. SA 68/3
Ravichandran Ashwin has bowled Quinton de Kock. This was round the corner considering the piling pressure of scoring at a better rate. Ashwin bowled a skidding delivery to de Kock and the lack of bounce did the rest to rattle the stumps. SA 58/2
Chahal starts with a decent 5-run over. South Africa are 58/1 after 15 overs. They must have to keep an eye on the scoring rate though.
Yuzvendra Chahal has replaced Shardul Thakur. Not a good idea this is because Thakur had bowled a maiden over previously. Nonetheless, the stage is yours, Yuzi.
Ashwin had almost trapped de Kock by producing a thick edge off latter's willow, but Shreyas Iyer at backward point failed to take the diving catch to see the southpaw survive. SA 52/1 after 12 overs.
Ravichandran Ahswin has been introduced into the attack. He comes to bowl for India in an ODI for the first time in the past four-and-a-half years. He takes Bhuvneshwar Kumar's end.
End of first powerplay and South Africa are 39/1 with Quinton de Kock and Temba Bavuma at the crease. The pitch seems a bit sluggish as the batter are finding it hard to time the ball. Meanwhile, the Indian bowlers have done a decent job so far.
Shardul Thakur's eventful first over comes to an end. Despite bowling a no-ball, he managed to end the over with just 4 runs. Not a bad start for him! SA 35/1
Here is the first bowling change in the game. Jasprit Bumrah rested and Shardul Thakur starts from his end.
The South African skipper had almost edged the Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivery to Rishabh Pant, but the ball bounced on the grass before Pant, diving to his right, could collect it.
Losing Janneman Malan, South Africa have scored 23 runs in the first 5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah, who looked a bit off colour in his first over, made a good return to send Janneman back to the hut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, meanwhile, has kept it tight from another end.
Jasprit Bumrah gets the wicket of South African opener Janneman Malan 6(10). An outswinging delivery, outside off stump, but Janneman chases it and pays the price, edging it to Rishabh Pant.
South African players take a knee before the start of the game.
Two debutants. Marco Jansen for South Africa, Venkatesh Iyer for India. Here are the XIs -
South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Temba Bavuma (c), David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, Lungi Ngidi;
India: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Temba Bavuma said, "wicket looks a bit dry. Would like to make use of the best of the batting conditions." India captain KL Rahul said, he "would've wanted to bat first."
Temba Bavuma wins the toss and South Africa will bat first against India.
This ODI series will help India and South Africa test their combination ahead of the 2023 World Cup (50-over) in India. Although the focus will be on the T20 World Cup in 10 months' time in Australia, this ODI series will help many young players to secure their future in limited-overs cricket. Watch out for men like Venkatesh Iyer and Deepak Chahar. Virat Kohli, who was controversially removed as ODI captain, will love to get some runs in this ODI series.
Toss next
It's good to see Yuzvendra Chahal back in the Indian ODI set up. Should he play today, the leg-spinner will try to reach 100 ODI wickets. He needs three more scalps.
South Africa have rested their main pacer Kagiso Rabada. It came as a late decision on Tuesday. That means the home side will be without two leading fast bowlers - Rabada and Anrich Nortje (injured). The Indians have seen a lot of Rabada and Nortje during the IPL but South Africa have enough bowling resources - Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen especially - to probe the formidable Indian batting line-up.
Boland Park in Paarl is known to be a slow and flat batting track very much like Indian wickets. It has seen all kinds of scores - from very high to very low. Batting first, South Africa once scored 350+ runs once here while Sri Lankan have also been skittled out for 43. So toss could become a decisive factor. Expect a high-scoring game on a ground that has shorter boundaries.
#TeamIndia all set and raring to go for the 1st ODI 💪💪#SAvIND pic.twitter.com/rfIMTxVZ2q
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 19, 2022
After Virat Kohli's shock resignation as the Test captain, KL Rahul's India will look for redemption in the three-match ODI series starting Wednesday in Paarl. South Africa are buoyed after winning the Test series 2-1 and skipper Temba Bavuma wants to carry that momentum forward with a fresh team that will see the return of Quinton de Kock from paternity leave. India too are bolstered by fresh legs and specialist limited-overs players like veteran Shikhar Dhawan, Suryakumar Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. It's all set for a cracker of a contest. Follow here live cricket scores and updates of SA vs IND, first ODI.
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