VIRAT KOHLI struck his 52nd one-day century to help India beat South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI on Sunday.
Kohli made 135 off 120 balls and put together a 136-run stand for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma as India reached 349-8 in Ranchi.
South Africa ended on 332 all out. Number eight Corbin Bosch scored 67 off 51 balls and kept the chase alive until the final over. South Africa needed 18 runs from the last over with one wicket in hand, but Bosch fell on the second ball.
Matthew Breetzke made 72 and Marco Jansen scored 70 in a 97-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Their stand revived the innings after South Africa had slipped to 11-3 and later 77-4.
Kuldeep Yadav took 4-68. His double strike to dismiss Jansen and Breetzke in three balls shifted the match in India’s favour and gave them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Kohli reached his 83rd international hundred across formats with a boundary off Jansen and acknowledged the home crowd.
"If you've played 300-odd games and so much cricket, you know when you're hitting balls in practice, you know the reflexes are there and the physical ability is there to bat long," player of the match Kohli said.
"As long as you're hitting the ball well and playing good cricket, it's about physically fit, mentally ready and excited."
A fan entered the field and ran towards Kohli, touching his feet before being removed.
Kohli holds the record for most ODI hundreds. Sachin Tendulkar is next with 49. Kohli also leads the list for hundreds in a single format, ahead of Tendulkar’s 51 in Tests.
Kohli and Rohit, who scored 57, now play only the 50-over format after retiring from T20s and Tests. Their return lifted India, led by KL Rahul in the absence of the injured Shubman Gill, after the 2-0 Test series loss to South Africa.
Rohit lost opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal for 18 before Kohli walked in to a loud reception from the crowd.
Rohit was lbw to Jansen after hitting three sixes in his 51-ball innings, taking his ODI tally of sixes to 352 and moving past Shahid Afridi’s 351.
Kohli accelerated after reaching his first century since February, hitting Prenelan Subrayen for two fours and two sixes in the 39th over worth 21 runs.
He was dismissed by Nandre Burger for 135, caught by Ryan Rickelton, after striking 11 fours and seven sixes.
Rahul made 60 off 56 balls and Ravindra Jadeja added 32 off 20.
Bosch’s first ODI half-century kept South Africa in the contest ahead of the next match on Wednesday in Raipur.
"Great to sit in the change room and watch the guys do their thing," stand-in skipper Aiden Markram said. "Never losing the belief that we can pull off a rabbit from the hat."
(With inputs from agencies)
