Fans assembled at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi for the first ODI between India and South Africa were treated by a Virat Kohli special. The talisman of Indian cricket slammed yet another ton, his 52nd in the format, and celebrated it with his trademark punch in the air.
Kohli reached the triple-digit score after gently pushing the ball towards the third-man region for a boundary, completing the milestone in 102 balls. Soon after the moment, a fan taking advantage of the frenzied atmosphere, breached security and ran towards Kohli to touch his feet, which he successfully did before being removed by security.
Meanwhile, Kohli and Rohit Sharma ran the show after South Africa won the toss and invited India to bat at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi. The pair continued from where they left in Australia and stitched 136 runs off 109 balls for the second wicket before Marco Jansen trapped Rohit LBW. The opener scored 57(51), featuring five 4s and three 6s.
WATCH | Virat Kohli fails to believe as Ruturaj Gaikwad falls victim to Dewald Brevis stunner in Ranchi
Kohli was eventually dismissed for 135(120) as he walked back to a rousing applause, something which was felt throughout his stay in the middle. He struck eleven 4s and seven 6s before being removed by Nandre Burger, as a miscued shot was brilliantly caught by Ryan Rickelton covering almost 10-15 yards running behind from mid-off.
If we look at the previous scores, Ranchi has always been a hunting ground for the modern-day legend. Three of his 52 ODI centuries have come at this venue in five outings, with other two being 77* (vs ENG, 2013) and 45 (vs NZ, 2016).
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