Virat Kohli's Teammates In Awe Of His Iconic 52nd ODI Ton In Ranchi, Kuldeep Yadav Says 'Felt I Had Gone Back 8-9 Years' | Watch

Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI Century, IND vs SA 1st ODI Result: Virat Kohli's outstanding batting masterclass helped India beat South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI match to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. Virat was once again at his very best and smashed his record-extending 52nd ODI century at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday.

The veteran batter, who only plays the ODI format following his T20I and Test retirements, played a memorable knock of 135 runs in 120 balls on the back of 11 fours and seven sixes. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most centuries in a single international format. His magnificent 136-run partnership with Rohit Sharma for the second wicket was also the talk of the town.

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While Virat continued his dominance in the ODI format, Tilak Varma, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav and Ryan ten Doeschate were left in awe. "We have seen one of the best knocks again. I’m very happy that I have seen 100 of Virat bhai live. For the last 17 years, he has always been electrifying in the field, the batting, fielding, everything," Tilak Varma said in a video posted by BCCI.

 

 

 

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"I’ve learned a lot, and yeah, it’s a pleasure to watch him live, and I’ll keep talking to him, and as much as I can, I'll learn, and if I get an opportunity in the coming games, I can implement it in the games," he added.

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India headed into the Ranchi ODI on the back of a 1-2 series defeat in Australia. While there was heavy criticism for the Indian team after the Test series whitewash loss, they put their best foot forward in the ODI series. "Yeah, nice to be back in winning ways was very pleasing. The guys identified that we need a premium score and that wicket, they knew the dew was going to come in, and the way the batters went about it. And obviously Virat, a big 100, and getting us out of the blocks finishing off to get us a score that was above, you know what you normally need in the wicket like this was good," Ryan ten Doeschate said.

"Banter is something that, being a Punjabi, I try to keep having fun with each other. We try to keep the team’s environment light and fun-loving, because you know, there is pressure in the match. Everyone has expectations of you. But even at that time, how can you enjoy the moment? That’s what we try to do, and I try to make my teammates enjoy it too. Don’t feel too much pressure," Arshdeep Singh said.

"My career started with Virat bhai when he was the captain. The way he batted, I felt I had gone back 8-9 years. The way he was batting in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. It was a very good inning, and he looked very confident. Whatever his shot selection was, the ball was coming nicely off the bat. It feels good to be with him. You get to learn a lot. You always get inputs. Even in bowling, you get inputs as to what you can do. It feels good to be with the seniors. There is energy and intensity in the team, as you have seen in the field, we are very lucky with it," Kuldeep Yadav said.

Apart from Virat's iconic knock, senior batter Rohit Sharma (57) and skipper KL Rahul (60) hit fifties as India posted a mammoth total of 349/8 in their 50 overs. The visitors fell short despite the impactful knocks from Matthew Breetzke (72) and Corbin Bosch (67). For the Men in Blue, Kuldeep Yadav took four wickets, whereas Harshit Rana four three scalps.