SA vs Ind, 1st ODI: Rahane, Kohli guide India to 6-wicket win in Durban

Durban: India took a 1-0 lead in the Momentum Series on Thursday after securing a thumping 6 wicket victory over South Africa at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban on Thursday.

Being put to bowl first, the hosts set Virat Kohli’s men a target of 270 to chase as Faf du Plessis struck a sizzling century despite the Indian spinner running riot early on.

In reply to the chase, the Men in Blue got off to a decent start before the hosts started causing all sorts of problem for the India openers. Rohit Sharma was dismissed by Morne Morkel and soon after Shikhar Dhawan also followed his partner’s footsteps as he fell victim to a run-out.

It seemed as if the opposition batsmen would continue to pile the pressure, but Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane had other plans. Starting steadily, the duo struck a massive 189-run partnership to slowly take the game away from the hosts.

Du Plessis’ and co tried all sorts of experiments but couldn’t help themselves as India took charge of the game.

The mammoth partnership between the duo came to an end as Rahane attempted to finish the game off early, but fell victim to Adeline Phehlukwayo. The bowler also dismissed Kohli, but by then India had the game in their pocket.

The win saw India claim their first ever ODI victory at the venue.

India 265-4 after 45 overs:

WICKET! Change of pace does the trick. And it's the end of a fabulous knock from Kohli as the entire crowd rises up to applaud the India skipper. The right-hander aims for another pull, but gets the top edge this time. Rabada at fine leg takes a running catch to dismiss Kohli.

WICKET! Too late for the hosts, but they'll take that. Rahane makes room and tries to smack Phehlukwayo over mid off, but finds Tahir near the boundary rope. He might not be there till the end, but he deserves credit having done his job.

India 248-2 after 41 overs:

HUNDRED! Virat Kohli picks a slower one off Phehlukwayo and drives it past covers with aplomb. And with that he brings up ton number 33. The entire dressing room is on it's feet applauding the chase-master.

India 205-2 after 36 overs:

Aiden Markram concedes 15 runs in the over to help India reach 200. Both Kohli and Rahane have been scoring runs for fun and the game is almost will within India's reach. South Africa, meanwhile, have been left frustrated after a plethora of experimentations.

India 141-2 after 26 overs:

FIFTY for Kohli! The chase-master gets to another classic 50! Though the India skipper will be well aware that only half the job is done, he has toyed the opposition bowlers with ease.

India 106-2 after 20 overs:

100 comes up for India! The Men in Blue have been building well despite losing their openers. However, the Proteas have kept the run rate in check and not leaked too many runs. Rahane and Kohli will need to stay for quite a while if India are to make light work of the chase.

India 68-2 after 13 overs:

WICKET! Miscommunication between Dhawan and Kohli sees the opener being sent off. Kohli from the non-strikers end comes halfway down the pitch for a run and his partner is in two minds, before finally deciding to take a call. Markram from backward point, rushes forward to collect the ball and hits the bulls eye at the bowler's end. Dhawan's cameo comes to an end in disappointing fashion.

South Africa 37-1 after 7 overs:

WICKET! And Morne Morkel gets the first one. Rohit looks to play across the line and gets a leading edge. The ball goes high up in the air and Quinton de Kock eventually takes it after a long shout.

2nd innings:

After electing to bat first, South Africa set a target of 270 to chase for India in the first ODI of the Momentum Series at the Kingsmead Ground in Durban on Thursday.

Led by skipper Fad du Plessis’ terrific ton, the hosts kept themselves in the game after the Indian spin bowling attack rocked the show early on.

Jasprit Bumrah got the Men in Blue to a good start after dismissing opener Hashim Amla via an LBW appeal. For the second wicket, Quinton de Kock and Faf du Plessis revived the South African innings with a solid 50 run partnership before Yuzvendra Chahal got rid of the southpaw.

Moments later, the leg-spinner soon tricked Aiden Markram to claim his 2nd wicket. Kuldeep Yadav also joined the party by removing left-handers JP Duminy and David Miller to prompt the South African collapse.

However, Skipper du Plessis once revived the innings along with Chris Morris at the other end with a steady 50-run stand before the latter was cleaned up by Kuldeep.

Leading from the front, du Plessis brought up his 9th ODI ton and also became the second South African ODI skipper to score a hundred against India at home after AB de Villiers.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed his first wicket of the evening by sending du Plessis back to the pavilion as the hosts ended with a total of 269-8 on board.

South Africa 269-8 after 50 overs:

RUN OUT and WIDE! Rabada takes one for the team as he gets Phehlukwayo back on strike. The former attempts to take a bye but falls short of his crease at the non-strikers end.

South Africa 268-8 after 50 overs:

WICKET! A sizzling knock comes to an end but it's too late for the visitors with the Proteas skipper having done his job. The right-hander smacks a tired shot straight to Pandya at mid-off.

South Africa 248-6 after 48 overs:

Faf du Plessis brings up his century! What a ton this has been from the skipper, a classic captain's knock! His attacking intent from the start has put the Proteas back in the game despite the loss of partners at the other end.

South Africa 208-6 after 41 overs:

WICKET! Phew, and the Men in Blue get the breakthrough they needed. Morris misses a dolly but Kuldeep doesn't mind. The chinaman tosses a full toss delivery to the batsman, who makes no contact while attempting the sweep on one knee. The ball dips in the crease and disturbs the off-stump.

South Africa 191-5 after 39 overs:

Half-century partnership between Morris and Du Plessis! While the Proteas skipper has held the innings together brilliantly playing his natural shots, Morris has also chipped in with a few lusty blows. India need a wicket or matters are going to turn worse soon!

South Africa 134-5 after 28 overs:

WICKET! The Indian spin bowling attack is on a roll. Kuldeep bowls a normal leg spin delivery to Miller, who attempts to punch it towards cover. The southpaw streches forward as the ball hits him high, only to find Virat Kohli, who takes an excellent catch diving forward.

South Africa 122-4 after 26 overs:

WICKET! Completely foxed him. After failing to pick the chinaman for a couple of balls, the veteran all-rounder is tricked by Kuldeep. The ball runs through the gates and rattles the stumps.

South Africa 105-3 after 22 overs:

WICKET! Chahal scalps his 2nd wicket and its Pandya who completes the catch. Both, bowler and fielder deserve big credit for this. Markram charges down the pitch and the leggie cleverly bowls it towards the leg-side. The batsman loses his balance but still flicks it towards Pandya at mid-wicket, who holds on to the catch.

South Africa 83-2 after 15 overs:

LBW! Chahal claims India's 2nd wicket and the settled Quinton de Kock will have to make his way to the pavillion. The ball drops and turns in towards the batsman, who tries to nick it towards leg. The southpaw fails to make contact and is struck on the knee roll. Chahal is ecstatic!

South Africa 53-1 after 11 overs:

50 up for Proteas! Amla's wicket has done little to affect the hosts' morale. Faf du Plessis has already smoked three boundaries and will aim to pile the pressure back on Kohli's men.

South Africa 31-1 after 8 overs:

WICKET! Jasprit Bumrah gets the first wicket for India. Sharp inswinger to Amla and the batsman fails to read it before getting struck on the pads. There are calls for a no ball but reviews show that Bumrah is safe.

South Africa 23-0 after 6 overs:

Decent start by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah for India, not leaking away too many runs. But they need find wickets soon and avoid the opening pair settle.

Toss: South Africa win the toss and elect to bat. Here is how both the teams line-up for today.

Virat Kohli: We would have batted first as well. We have got such a balance in our side that we can bowl the opposition side. We have two wrist spinners, Bumrah and Bhuvi. Kedar with his part-timers bowls a few overs as well. We are a side which chases well. It has been a wonderful last few days for us. We will certainly start more confident in the ODI series compared to the Tests.

Preview: In a clash of top two ODI teams, Virat Kohli-led Indian cricket team will square off against Faf du Plessis' South Africa in the first match of the six-ODI series at the Kingsmead in Durban on Thursday.

While India lost the Test series 2-1, Kohli and co will be going into the game with a lot of confidence after winning the final Test match in Johannesburg. The Indian side sealed a 63-run win pitch which was rated "poor" by International Cricket Council.

While South Africa are currently enjoying a 17-match winning streak in ODIs in their backyard, Indian side, which will see a return of former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will look to tame the Proteas and break the streak.

India have a poor ODI record in South Africa, having won only won 5 out of 27 ODIs played against South Africa in South Africa. To add to it, India have never won a bilateral series in South Africa or beaten the hometeam at Durban in ODI cricket.

With 2019 ICC World cup just 14 months away, this series will be an ideal start to their preparations for the mega event. India have a long limited-overs' schedule until their next big Test assignment this year. They play six ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals here, a T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka and then three ODIs and three T20Is in England.

India come into the series after beating Sri Lanka in the ODI series 2-1. Virat Kohli, who missed the limited-overs series ODIs and T20s against the Island nation, will look to hit the ground running.

Meanwhile, South Africa will be without experienced AB de Villers, who will be out of the first three games due to a finger injury he sustained during the third Test in Johannesburg. Aiden Markram has been called in as the replacement and could get a look in at the number 4 spot in the batting order.

Where to watch the matches live?

Live telecast: The matches can be seen live on Sony Ten 1 (English commentary) and Sony Ten 3 (Hindi commentary).

Also check - South Africa vs India ODIs: Live streaming, schedule, match timings, squads and more

Live streaming: It can also be streamed live on Sony LIV, the digital platform on the internet.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Aiden Markram, Jean-Paul Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Lungisani Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Khaya Zondo