India defeats South Africa by 17 runs in Ranchi ODI as Virat Kohli’s century leads the Men in Blue in a thrilling high-scoring match.

Ranchi: In the ODI series opener in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30, South Africa nearly achieved the 350-run chase against India before the hosts won by 17 runs. South Africa simply never gave up. After being lowered to 11/3 at the beginning of the innings, the Proteas stormed back into the match thanks to the 97-run partnership between Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch for the sixth wicket off just 69 balls. The all-round pair was more than just a punching bag.

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But in the middle overs, Kuldeep Yadav’s four wickets held the Proteas in check, and India won by 17 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series. A Virat Kohli special, India’s middle order battling to raise the score to 349, wickets in the powerplay, a comeback from South Africa’s middle and lower-middle order, and ultimately an India victory—it was everything an ODI fan could have hoped for. In the end, the match made history because the highest match total in an ODI between South Africa and India was 681 (349 and 332).

The total in the Ranchi ODI exceeded that of the Mumbai ODI, the series finale in 2015, in which South Africa scored an incredible 438 runs thanks to AB de Villiers’ video game knock and Faf du Plessis’ century before India was reduced to just 224. The previous record for an ODI between South Africa and India was 662.

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With 28 runs struck on Sunday—the most in an ODI between the two teams—the Ranchi match also eclipsed the Mumbai game’s six-hitting total. Virat Kohli, the game’s lone centurion, smashed seven runs by himself.

Before KL Rahul, the acting captain, and Ravindra Jadeja helped the Men in Blue add vital 80 runs in the final 10 to bring the total close to 350, which was ultimately sufficient, the two seasoned pros, Kohli and Rohit Sharma, put up a 136-run partnership that set the stage for the Indian victory.

Although they will be proud of the battle, South Africa will lament the early collapse, which was a clear loss of control for the visitors. On Wednesday, December 3, Raipur will host the second ODI.