Rohit Sharma’s 150 in Vain, India lose to South Africa in 1st ODI

Rohit Sharma hit his 8th ODI hundred, but India suffered a shock defeat to South Africa at Green Park, Kanpur. India lost the match by 5 runs. With this win, South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Earlier, South Africa posted 303/5 in 50 overs. AB de Villiers remained unbeaten on 104, while Faf du Plessis scored 62. Quinton de Kock (29), Hashim Amla (37), and Farhaan Behardien (35*) were the other top contributors. For India, Umesh Yadav and Amit Mishra took two wickets each.

Chasing a victory target of 304, India lost Shikhar Dhawan (23) with 42 runs on board. Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane added 159 runs for the second wicket, which laid a strong foundation for the team.

Rahane scored 60. Kohli too did not last long and departed at 11. However, Rohit held the forte with the help of Dhoni. He scored 150 off 133 balls with 13 boundaries and 6 sixes before succumbing to Imran Tahir, who also claimed Raina (3) in the same over.

Rabada’s last over changed the game. India needed 11 runs from the last over. But, Rabada conceded just 5 runs and claimed the wickets of MS Dhoni (31) and Stuart Binny. India finished at 298/7 in 50 overs. 47th over and 50th over of the match changed the course of the game. For South Africa, Rabada and Tahir took two wickets each.