Rohit and Kohli stitch centurion stand in ODI series opener against South Africa
Kohli smashes his 76th ODI half-century
Rohit surpasses Shahid Afridi to break an ODI record
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two icons of international cricket, joined forces once more as India faced South Africa in the first ODI at the JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi, on Sunday (November 30, 2025).
And the occasion turned into a moment worth cherishing, with the former captains displaying their trademark composure and quality -- traits increasingly scarce in an Indian side grappling with trust deficits and declining fortunes.
Following the early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the fourth over by Nandre Burger, Rohit and Kohli stitched together a century partnership for the second wicket.
During the stand, Kohli brought up his 76th ODI half-century, launching a six off the second ball of the 18th over bowled by Corbin Bosch, and followed it immediately with another maximum.
Rohit, on the other hand, broke Shahid Afridi's long-standing record for most sixes in ODIs.
Already the holder of the record for most sixes in international cricket, the 38-year-old also reached his 60th ODI fifty.
Most sixes in ODIs
Rohit Sharma: 352
Shahid Afridi: 351
Chris Gayle: 331
Sanath Jayasuriya: 270
MS Dhoni: 229
Earlier, stand-in skipper KL Rahul lost out to Aiden Markram, who himself was deputising for Temba Bavuma -- who had recently steered the Proteas to a historic 2-0 series sweep.
This marked India's 19th consecutive toss loss in ODIs, a sequence dating back to the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad. Marco Jansen eventually ended the partnership, pinning Rohit Sharma (57 off 51 balls; five fours and three sixes) leg-before.
India were at 161/2 in 21.2 overs, with Ruturaj Gaikwad walking in to join Virat Kohli in the middle. The Ro-Ko stand was worth 136 runs in 109 balls.
India Vs South Africa, 1st ODI Playing XIs
India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna
South Africa Playing XI: Ryan Rickelton, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aiden Markram (c), Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, Dewald Brevis, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Prenelan Subrayen, Nandre Burger, Ottneil Baartman
