Chasing 304 runs, India lost the first ODI of the five-match series by five runs to South Africa despite a sparkling 150 by Rohit Sharma at the Green Park in Kanpur.
AB de Villiers helped the visitors to 303 for five with a swashbuckling 104 off 73 balls. Although MS Dhoni’s bowlers responded with wickets and bowled a tight line early on to keep the match precariously poised, the late onslaught by the SA captain and Farhaan Behardien (53 runs off three overs) seized the advantage from India.
Shaping India’s response, Rohit partnered Ajinkya Rahane in a 149-run stand after losing Shikhar Dhawan with 42 runs on the board. He later built a 55-run stand with Dhoni to keep India in the game but as the match inched towards the death overs, after the departure of Rohit the Indian batsmen struggled to get over the line and perished taking the aerial route as Tahir and Kagiso Rabada dealt double blows to restrict India to 298 for seven.
Chasing the stiff target, Dhawan had led the charge early on while Rohit got off to a quieter start. After hitting Dale Steyn past cover in the first over, the opener hit Rabada over square-leg couple of overs later and followed up with two more off the senior pacer. However, he was trapped lbw by Morne Morkel for 23.
Rahane, who then came to the crease drove Rabada to the fence while Rohit drove Morkel for successive boundaries in the next. Their timing was exquisite as Rohit milked the bowlers, while Rahane played the perfect foil and kept the required run rate in check.
As the partnership blossomed, Rahane took it past the 100-run mark with a deftly timed boundary off Behardien past third-man. A bit later, the No 3 reached his fifty with a single to long-on. Rohit, who had dismissed Duminy for a six in the previous over, then sent Imran Tahir through extra cover for four and then over it for six more as they plucked 14 runs off the over.
However, while the opener inched towards his century, Rahane departed hitting Behardien to Miller for 60 leaving India on 191 for two. In the bowler’s next, Rohit reached his hundred with a boundary through mid-wicket. 23 runs later, he lost another partner as Virat Kohli departed handing a catch to short fine-leg off Steyn.
With 90 runs required of 60 balls, Dhoni joined the opener, who was gleaning runs off the opposition. The Rohit-Dhoni pair ran hard between the wickets and survived a possibility of run out as they chipped into the deficit. The opener took the aerial route as SA looked to save the boundaries with the match hanging in balance.
Ably supported by the captain, Rohit kept the chase on course. He lofted Morkel over the ropes, and then pulled Steyn for six as India inched towards the target, but with 35 runs required the opener handed a return catch to Tahir and departed for 150. Three balls later, Suresh Raina perished mis-timing the ball towards long-on.
With Stuart Binny, the Indian captain then ran hard between the wickets and innovated to find the boundary then joined his captain. With 11 required of six balls the match inched to a nerve-wracking finish. As he looked to take the aerial route, Dhoni perished skying the ball and was caught by Rabada off his own bowling. Next ball, Binny perished hitting the ball high in the air and was caught by Hashim Amla. Bhuvneshwar Kumar facing the last delivery managed only a single leaving India short of the target.
Earlier, looking to reverse their fortunes after losing the T20I series, a recharged Indian team took the field and were on the prowl from the word go. de Kock would have found himself walking back to the dressing room in the fourth over had he not made it to the crease with a big stretch while Virat Kohli hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end from mid-off.
The opener then smacked Umesh Yadav for couple of boundaries in the next through point and past mid-wicket as he partnered with Amla to get the team off to a good start. But with the visitors gaining momentum Dhoni introduced Ashwin into the attack. Coming round the wicket, he forced an edge from the opener’s bat and Suresh Raina in took the catch in the slips to end the opening stand for 44.
Having got a crucial breakthrough Dhoni replaced Ashwin with Amit Mishra as du Plessis joined Amla in building the SA innings. While the leg-spinner bowled a tight line to tie the batsmen down, Binny too settled into a rhythm at the other end and bowled economically after conceding a couple of boundaries to the No 3 bat early on.
With boundaries hard to come by, du Plessis and Amla ran hard between the wickets and had put together 59 runs until Mishra rattled the opener’s stumps.
With spinners getting assistance from the pitch, Dhoni introduced Raina from the other end while Mishra continued to peg away at the batsmen. du Plessis who had stoically held up one end meanwhile inched towards his fifty and lofted Raina over mid-wicket to get to the mark.
However, barring that rare big hit, the hosts had kept the flow of runs in check. Dhoni then brought Ashwin back into the attack, but the off-spinner strained himself while fielding off his own bowling and had to leave the field 2.4 overs into his second spell. He returned in the later part of the innings but didn’t bowl his full quota of overs.
Yadav, however provided India with crucial wickets. The pacer struck off the first ball after being handed the ball; trapped du Plessis trapped lbw for 62.
Looking to up the ante de Villiers slammed Raina over deep mid-wicket for a six and later, lofted Binny over the same region to collect six more. While the SA captain looked to milk the bowlers, Mishra struck at the other end and had David Miller stumped to leave SA on 197/4.
In an effort to accelerate the run rate, JP Duminy lofted Binny over square-leg for six while de Villiers too hit him over long-on and picked two fours to collect 21 from the over. However, Yadav once again struck off the first ball; forcing an edge from Duminy through to Dhoni.
Behardien then took on Yadav as they added 13 off the over while de Villiers hauled Bhuvneshwar for back-to-back sixes in the next. The pair clobbered the Indian pacers in the death overs to take the team to 303 for five.
Man of the Match: AB de Villiers for his whirlwind century that set-up the match for SA.
