Virat Kohli reaffirmed his enduring value to India's ODI setup with a perfectly paced century that shaped his team's 17-run victory over South Africa in the series-opener, in Ranchi on Sunday.
On a flat JSCA surface, Kohli (135 off 120 balls) controlled the tempo of the innings from the moment he walked in, anchoring India's imposing 349 for eight with an effort that blended classical stroke-play with calculated acceleration.
The value of Kohli's 52nd ODI ton became even clearer during South Africa’s chase, which disintegrated at the beginning under sustained Indian pressure.
With Harshit Rana's (3/54) triple strike and support from pacer Arshdeep Singh (2/64) and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4/68), India always got wickets whenever Proteas threatened to get away and finally ended on 332.
Courtesy Marco Jansen's counter-attacking 70 and Matthew Breetzke's composed 72, South Africa kept their fans interested but India had no trouble whatsoever in wrapping up the contest for a 1-0 lead in three-match series.
Kuldeep's twin strike in the 34th over actually became decisive after a breezy 97-run stand between Breetzke and Jansen as the wily left-arm wrist spinner removed both within a space of three deliveries.
Dew was also a factor in South Africa getting some easy runs as Indian bowlers struggled to grip the ball under lights.
Nine down, South Africa needed 18 off the last over and Prasidh Krishna ensured the hosts do not suffer a heartbreak after all the hard work by dismissing Corbin Bosch (67) with the second delivery.
Earlier Kohli's commanding knock came off 120 balls with seven sixes and 11 fours.
His 136-run stand with Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) for the second wicket set up India's big total on a JSCA shirtfront.
With Kohli no longer part of T20Is, and no ODIs scheduled for India after New Zealand series in January, every outing in the format now comes with significance.
The 36-year-old responded with trademark authority, reminding the selectors and team management that he remains India's most bankable batter in the format.
Rohit too had a great platform to assert himself after being dropped at 1 but he could make only 57 before being trapped by Jansen.
Still, their 136-run partnership -- during a much-anticipated 'Ro-Ko' show -- would give confidence not to the two stalwarts but also the team management that they still belong to big stage and can serve India a bit more.
South Africa's top order crumbled under sustained Indian pressure as Rana's incisive new-ball burst left the visitors reeling in their chase.
Rana dismissed both Ryan Rickelton (0) and Quinton de Kock (0) in the space of three balls.
Captain Aiden Markram’s brief resistance ended on 7 when he edged Arshdeep, leaving the Proteas tottering at 11 for 3 in the fifth over.
Breetzke and Tony de Zorzi (39 off 35) attempted to rebuild with a 66-run stand, but Kuldeep broke the partnership just as de Zorzi looked set, trapping him lbw to make it 77 for 4.
Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) injected some momentum with three sixes, but Rana returned to claim his third wicket, ending the youngster’s charge at 130 for 5 in the 22nd over, effectively snuffing out any realistic hopes of a contest.
The RoKo show
It was a flat deck but the Proteas bowlers were also guilty of not bowling a probing line and length.
Kohli walked in early after Yashasvi Jaiswal's 18 ended via a faint edge off Nandre Burger, and the Ranchi crowd immediately anticipated a reunion worth waiting for.
Rohit survived a sitter, spilled by Tony de Zorzi at mid-wicket, and used the reprieve to settle before opening up with a string of boundaries against Jansen and Corbin Bosch.
He hit Jansen for two boundaries in a space of five balls and Bosch was also taken to task: his incoming deliveries were flicked with ease and the short ones were pulled with authority.
Kohli, meanwhile, was in vintage touch -- a six over mid-off off Burger showing the full bat face, signalled his intent as well as touch. It was followed by a silken cover drive.
With South Africa's pacers erring in both line and length, the pair motored along, forcing stand-in captain Aiden Markram to introduce off-spinner Pranelan Subrayen, but the runs kept flowing.
Kohli raised his half-century with a six off Bosch, while Rohit reached his fifty with a single as India crossed the 100-run mark in quick time.
Jansen finally struck back by trapping Rohit leg before.
The dismissal briefly stalled India's scoring as Kohli went through a phase of limited strike.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar, promoted to No. 5, fell in quick succession to Ottneil Baartman, arresting the early charge.
But Kohli held firm.
Rotating strike smartly and putting away the loose balls, he ensured India did not drift.
Soon after he completed his hundred, a manic fan breached security, knelt before his 'King', touched his feet before being whisked away by security officers.
What was remarkable was Kohli's ability to change the gears even when the ball had gone soft.
Now only one ball of the two can be used after 34 overs, making the stroke-making challenging.
When skipper KL Rahul (60) was struggling to go hard at spinner Subrayen, Kohli creamed him off for 21 runs with consummate ease with two sixes and a four.
The 2027 World Cup is still some time away but Kohli reminded one and all that his touch is intact and hunger insatiable as ever.
