India vs South Africa, 1st ODI: Clinical Proteas defeat KL Rahul & Co. by 31 runs to go 1-nil up

Paarl, January 19: South Africa exposed another gaping hole in India's faulty middle-order with an emphatic win in the opening ODI of the three-match series at Paarl. Captain and coach might have changed but the storyline remained the same for India as they once again looked heavily reliant on their top-three.

Chasing a target of 297, the Indians were restricted to 265/8 in 50 overs and the hosts won the match by 31 runs. KL Rahul (16) failed to leave a mark in his debut as ODI captain but senior pros Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli scored respective half-centuries and revived hosts with their 92-run stand. But once these two set batters were dismissed against the run of play, in quick succession, the South Africans wrested control.

India would have expected from set batsmen in Dhawan (79) and Kohli (51) to finish the game but the duo's soft dismissal off Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi respectively proved costly for the visitors as it was a tad difficult for the middle-order batters to settle in. Dhawan - who was making his international comeback - looked in fine touch before he was dismissed but Kohli, despite scoring his 34th ODI fifty, never looked in his zone.

The team had high hopes from young Turks in the middle-order but Shreyas Iyer (17), Rishabh Pant (16) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (2) failed to soak in the pressure and failed to forge any significant partnership and take the game deep. All three of them were dismissed in quick succession and South Africa never let the advantage slip away.

The lower-middle order tried to avoid the inevitable for some time but the game was already in SA's grip. Shardul Thakur - who had a forgettable outing with the ball - played some good hand with the bat with his unbeaten maiden ODI fifty and saved India the embarrassment of getting all-out.

Earlier in the day, Temba Bavuma and Rassie van der Dussen slammed sublime centuries as Proteas posted a massive 296/4 batting first against India. The hosts suffered a blow early when opener Quinton de Kock was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah.

The Indian bowlers contained the Protea top-order with their variations but the in-form batting pair of Bavuma and van der Dussen tormented Indians in the middle overs.

Leading from the front, Bavuma slammed a calm and composed second century of his ODI career. RVD too matched his captain and went on notching up his second ODI century off just 83 deliveries.

Captain Bavuma (110) and RVD (129* off 96 balls) forged a massive 204-run stand - the highest fourth-wicket partnership for SA against India in ODIs - took the game away from Indians. It was a forgettable day for the Indian bowlers as they failed to get breakthroughs in the middle-overs.

Barring Jasprit Bumrah (2/48) and R Ashwin (1/53), no Indian bowler managed to pick up any wicket and that was a major letdown for the touring side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0/64), Yuzvendra Chahal (0/53) and Shardul Thakur (0/72) looked slightly off-colour with the ball.

The two sides will face each other on Friday (January 21) for the second ODI which will be a must-in one for the Indians if they wish to stay alive in the three-match series. It will also be interesting to see what will be India's strategy and team composition in the must-win game.