Ranchi: In the end, it was Virat Kohli’s classic 135 that made the difference in the first ODI here on Sunday night.

After Kohli’s 52nd ODI century powered Team India to 349/8, South Africa made a valiant effort only to lose by 17 runs.

India’s young pacers Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh rocked South Africa at the start of their chase to have them reeling at 11/3. Even at 130/5, the Indians seemed to be on course for a convincing win. But the Proteas refused to give up and maintained a run-rate of over 6 runs per over.

First Matthew Breetzke (72), followed by a breezy 39-ball 70 by Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch’s 51-ball 67 gave India a scare. Thanks to Kuldeep Yadav’s 4-wicket haul, India managed to push back South Africa and ultimately go one-up in the three-game series.

BRIEF SCORES

India 349/8 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 135, KL Rahul 60, Rohit Sharma 57; Ottneil Baartman 2/60, Nandre Burger 2/65).

South Africa 332 in 49.2 overs (Matthew Breetzke 72, Marco Jansen 70, Corbin Bosch 67; Kuldeep Yadav 4/68, Harshit Rana 3/65).

Result: India won by 17 runs.

Player of the Match: Virat Kohli (135 off 120 balls).

Next match: India vs SA, 2nd ODI on Dec 3 at Raipur (1.30 pm).