The Indian and South African cricket teams have touched down in Raipur ahead of the second ODI, set for Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium. India enters the contest with confidence after securing a thrilling 17-run victory in the Ranchi opener, a match dominated by the brilliance of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Ranchi witnessed yet another chapter of the iconic ‘Ro-Ko’ show, continuing the magic last seen in Sydney. Virat Kohli dazzled with his 52nd ODI hundred, while Rohit Sharma surpassed Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for the most sixes in ODI cricket. Their 136-run stand for the second wicket provided India with a strong platform.
Rohit’s fluent 57 off 51 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes, helped him overtake Afridi’s tally of 351 ODI sixes. Kohli, meanwhile, delivered a masterclass — a magnificent 135 off 120 balls with 11 fours and seven sixes — achieving a strike rate of 112.50 and overtaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record for centuries in a single international format.
ALSO READ: Ravichandran Ashwin Shuts Down Virat Kohli Test Comeback Rumours With Clear Message
After being put into bat, India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal early for 18, but Rohit and Virat steadied the innings before quick wickets derailed the momentum. Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) fell in quick succession, leaving India at 200/4. KL Rahul’s composed 60 off 56 and Ravindra Jadeja’s quickfire 32 off 20 helped rebuild the innings. Rahul and Kohli added 76 valuable runs, followed by a 65-run stand between Rahul and Jadeja, taking India to a formidable 349/8 in 50 overs.
Ranchi ✅
Hello Raipur 👋#TeamIndia | #INDvSA | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/7m7kR1s96J
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 1, 2025
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 1, 2025
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 1, 2025
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 1, 2025
South Africa’s chase began disastrously as they slipped to 11/3, undone by India’s sharp pace attack. Tony de Zorzi (39) and Matthew Breetzke steadied the innings, before Dewald Brevis added a lively 37 off 28. At 130/5, the game looked tilted India’s way, but a powerful 97-run partnership between Breetzke (72) and Marco Jansen (80 off 39) brought the Proteas roaring back. Kuldeep Yadav’s crucial breakthroughs halted the surge, dismissing both set batters.
ALSO READ: Dale Steyn Reveals Virat Kohli’s Intense Surrey Training Routine Ahead Of Ranchi ODI Masterclass
Corbin Bosch’s fighting 67 off 51 kept South Africa alive, but India held their nerve to seal the match by 17 runs. Harshit Rana impressed with figures of 3/65.
With this win, India leads the three-match series 1-0 and heads into Raipur with strong momentum.
