Kohli magic, Rahane calm and wrist spin: Talking points from the 1st Ind vs SA ODI

A Virat Kohli-inspired India beat South Africa by six wickets in the first cricket One-Day International to go up 1-0 in the six-match series.

It was a superb team performance by India as they got their first ever win at Kingsmead. Here’s a look at the main talking points from the game:

The good turn

Wrist spinners: 20 overs, 79 runs, 5 wickets, Economy Rate: 3.95
All the other bowlers: 30 overs, 185 runs, 2 wickets, ER 6.23

India now have a template in place. They play two wrist spinners; two wicket-takers and both the bowlers end up feeding off each other. As the old saying goes, a wrist spinner can turn the ball on any surface. It makes it possible for India to play them regardless of the venue and so far, the opposition has struggled to deal with them.

The thing that Kuldeep and Chahal have going for them is that not only do they have the variations, but they are also very accurate. SA’s major slowdown came between the overs 15-30 when the spinners were in operation. Kuldeep mentioned how he focussed on bowling a slower trajectory, while Chahal concentrated on his natural variations. Wrist spinners are always wicket-taking option in the shorter format and if India can keep this plan going, they could have a very interesting attack for the World Cup.

After the game, Kohli singled them out for some praise.

“Bhuvi and Bumrah were good and those two wrist spinners have been the difference for us. They are working wonderfully for the team. They were very brave and threw the ball up and that is why they got the wickets. As a captain, it’s outstanding when you have two guys who know what they want to do,” he said.

A lone hand

Faf du Plessis almost single-handedly took his side to a respectable total. After electing to bat first, SA kept losing wickets regularly and that saw them being reduced to 134/5. But the SA skipper stuck it out and scored his eighth ODI hundred. His strike-rate remained good throughout the innings and he showed his batsmen just how they needed to go about doing things against this Indian bowling attack. He took his team to 269 – a total that they thought would give them a fighting chance.

Rahane, No 4

Once again, India had a new No 4. And once again, Rahane had a point to prove.

It’s been that kind of tour for the Mumbai batsman. He did well in his only Test and batted superbly on a difficult wicket. This wicket was easier but Rahane knew such opportunities are hard to come by and he made the most of it to score 79. He was calm in the middle and his partnership with Kohli broke many records too.

Just a while back, Rahane was designated as the third opener in the squad. But away from home, there might be more value in playing him at No 4. Among those who have batted at least five times for India at the No 4 position, Rahane is one of 10 batsmen to score at more than five an over. If he does get going, he could make this position his for a while to come. But for now, he’s done enough to get a decent run at the position.

Kohli, too, believes that Rahane might be the answer to India’s No 4 position: “Very, very happy for Jinx. Jinx is a top-class player. We understood fast bowling was going to be a big factor in this tour. He was superb, he took on the fast bowlers. He capitalised on a the No 4 slot which we have been looking to fill for a while now.”

Rahane’s last five innings: 55, 70, 53, 61, 79
Rahane’s last four innings at No 4: 87, 89, 50, 79

King Kohli

Virat Kohli now has a century in every country he has played ODI cricket in. It’s reached a stage where a Kohli century is not a surprise, more so if it is in a chase. The Indian skipper is a master of the ODI format and he showed that once again as he led India to their first ever win at Durban. Kohli has now scored 11 centuries as a captain in ODIs – the joint most by an Indian captain in ODIs along with Sourav Ganguly.

The innings was a typical Kohli classic but his celebrations when he got there showed how much it meant to him. This is a player on a mission and his innings – in which he barely put a foot wrong – showed that he has the quality to do well on all kinds of wickets. It was a sluggish pitch but he made it look easy with a wonderfully controlled knock.

“It was quite special. First game of the series is always important. We wanted to take the confidence from [the third Test in] Jo’burg into this game,” said Virat after the game.