India v South Africa, 1st ODI: Indian Players Ratings

A stupendous all-round display from India saw the hosts get hammered in the most obnoxious manner possible at Kingsmead, Durban. Virat Kohli and his troops managed to outclass the South Africans in every aspect and this pretty much reflects on the scoreline. In the first of six ODI game series, India managed to upstage South Africa by 6 wickets after a master-class century by skipper himself.

On a docile track, South African skipper, Faf du Plessis won the toss and asked the opposition to bowl first. On a batting friendly wicket, the Proteas were expected to put a mammoth total on board and put pressure on Indian batters right at the start of all-important series. However, no batsman really got going, keeping a superlative century from the skipper Faf. The partnership between du Plessis and Chris Morris helped the host to put 269 runs on the board.

In reply, Virat Kohli yet again showed the world how to go about a run-chase. His masterclass with scintillating half-century by comeback man Ajinkya Rahane helped India to chase the total quite comfortably. They were never caught up by the run-rate and had wickets in hand which eventually helped them to dominate from the word go. With this, India won and notch up the scoreline with 1-0.

Here are the player ratings of the Indian contingent, who managed to rip apart the hosts and register their first ODI win of 2018.

Rohit Sharma 4/10

There is always something really special when it comes to Rohit Sharma and colored jersey. As soon as he makes a paradigm shift from the Test format, he is expected to play full monty and upstage the hosts bowling. However, on the day, it was just one off day at work for Indian vice-captain. He departed after settling for 20 runs off 30 balls laden with two boundaries and a mighty six.

Shikhar Dhawan 6/10

With Shikhar Dhawan comes the sense of belief that if he gets his feet right, he will hammer the opposition bowlers quite easily. The mustache rolling southpaw started the innings in an aggressive fashion and was looking good to score big. However, a mix up between him and Virat at the crease cost him a run-out. He scored 35 runs off 29 balls at a blistering strike-rate of 120.69.

Virat Kohli 9/10

The aggression while fielding and calmness while batting defines the mental fortitude the 29-year-old lad carries. His ability to play some outrageous cricketing shots on a consistent basis. Banking his 33 ODI centuries and 18 while chasing makes him look too good to just be there as a human. Also, he made some right moves while captaining the side on the field helps Virat Kohli to get a full rating in the first ODI encounter.

Ajinkya Rahane 8/10

India has been waiting for quite some time for someone to fill that all-important number four spot. Further, in last year and a half, Indian Team has tried few permutation and combination for this slot but hasn’t been able to fix one. However, Rahane, who has always seen the third opener was asked to take this spot, and one will have to say, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Taking one away from full ratings as he got out while playing an unnecessary shot to Phehlukwayo.

Kedar Jadhav 3/10

Kedar Jadhav, who came into the side as a pure batsman is now seen to give the skipper all important 3-5 overs. With Pandya going for runs, Virat Kohli asked Kedar to bowl few overs in the middle. However, Kedar didn’t do justice to what has been expected out of him as opposition batsmen charged him and played him on the front foot. He gave 19 runs off just 3 overs he bowled at an economy of 6.33.

MS Dhoni 6/10

With Mahendra Singh Dhoni comes a sense of responsibility. He not only contributes while keeping behind the stumps or while batting, but also looks to share his inputs by taking some important decisions. He made some interesting changes to the field today when Virat Kohli was not the field. Also, he finished the innings in style and remained not out.

Hardik Pandya 4/10

After not so happening Test series, Hardik Pandya didn’t start the one-day series on a high. He bowled with the new ball, but went for runs right at the start and didn’t complete his quota of 10 overs. In his 7 overs spell, the speedster was not very economical and gave runs away at almost six an over. While batting, he was struggling to find the middle of the bat but eventually remained not out with former skipper MS Dhoni.

Yuzvendra Chahal 8/10

The 27-year-old Yuzvendra Chahal is able to prove his selection everytime Virat Kohli ask the young leggie to bowl. Yet another spectacular rendition of leg-spin bowling from the youngster. He registered figures of 2wickets for 45 runs and quite easily it could’ve been more if he was a tad bit fortunate.

Kuldeep Yadav 9/10

Though Kuldeep Yadav has featured in 15 one-day Internationals, the maturity he carries helps him to go echelons up and be in the pick of bowlers for India. Yet another day, yet another cracker performance by the chinaman bowler as he bowled right lines and picked three important wickets for his side.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/10

It was a rare off day for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he went for runs today. Much to his defense, it would actually be harsh to call it an off day. He started the proceeding for India but wasn’t able to provide important breakthrough at the start. He gave away 71 runs in his full quota of 10 overs and managed to pick just one wicket, but that of skipper Faf du Plessis.

Jasprit Bumrah 7/10

Jasprit Bumrah has been able to produce cracker performances in every other game he plays for India that he eventually stays in the mix of playing XI. Even today, he bowled his heart out and picked wicket right at the start when Hashim Amla was looking dangerous. He completed his spell with an economy of under 6 which helped him to bag 7 out of 10.

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