S.Africa wary of Rohit-Kohli storm after whirlwind ODI series opener

With both teams gaining several positives from the series opener in Ranchi, the forthcoming games will be mouthwatering affairs to watch, and it will start with India and South Africa squaring off in the second ODI of the three-match series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur on Wednesday.

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Rohit Sharma ended the Australia series with a superb century, while Virat Kohli bounced back from two ducks with a solid fifty. In the opening match of the ODI series against South Africa, the duo rose to the occasion again with another memorable partnership, much to the crowd's delight.

The hosts defeated South Africa by 17 runs in a thrilling first ODI in Ranchi to take a 1-0 series lead.

Batting first, India posted a strong 349/8, powered by Virat Kohli's sublime 135, his 52nd ODI hundred, and well-crafted fifties from Rohit Sharma (57) and KL Rahul (60).

Rohit and Kohli rebuilt after an early loss with a 136-run stand, while contributions from Rahul and Jadeja in the middle-order pushed India to a formidable total despite a late collapse triggered by Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch.

South Africa's chase faltered early as Harshit Rana struck twice in two deliveries, removing Rickelton and de Kock. Arshdeep Singh added to the pressure by dismissing skipper Markram, leaving the visitors reeling at the top.

Middle-order resistance came through Matthew Breetzke, Tony de Zorzi, and Dewald Brevis, who built key partnerships, but Kuldeep Yadav repeatedly broke South Africa's momentum, finishing with four crucial wickets.