1st ODI: India vs South Africa – As it happened...

Zee Media Bureau/Suyash Srivastava

==================================================================================== SCORECARD» | COMMENTARY» | REPORT» ALSO READ: * India becomes the highest run scoring team in ODI history» » * MS Dhoni becomes highest scoring Indian skipper in ODIs» » * After success in ODIs, Team India’s real Test lies ahead » * Will legacy of ‘fab four’ be carried out by GenX?» If you are a Sachin Tendulkar fan, you can have a look at Detailed slideshow about Sachin’s 100 centuries» ==================================================================================== India innings: Over 41 || Score 217/10 Dale Steyn ended Dhoni’s resilience when the Indian skipper looked to work a length delivery on the off-side, but found an edge that went on to hit his stumps. New batsman Shami faced three dot balls before giving an easy catch back to Steyn which also ended the Indian innings. South Africa have won the match by 141 runs and they now lead the series 1-0. Mohammed Shami c & b Steyn 0 (4b) MS Dhoni b Steyn 65 (71b) ==================================================================================== Over 40 || Score 212/8 Steyn picked his first wicket of the match when Bhuvneshwar Kumar edged one towards the slip cordon where Kallis took a clean catch. Dhoni hammered McLaren for a straight six over long-off to reach his half-century. In the same over, Dhoni was hit by a bouncer from McLaren and it hit him on the thumb. But the Indian skipper is still shielding his tail-enders from the fearsome pace of Proteas bowlers. India now need 147 runs to win from 60 balls. B Kumar c Kallis b Steyn 0 (4b) ==================================================================================== Over 35 || Score 184/7 Ashwin, as usual played some of the strkes which were a delight to watch, but he stay didn’t last long and he dismissed by McLaren, who picked his third wicket of the match. Dhoni and Ashwin added 25 runs for the seventh wicket partnership. India now need 175 runs to win from 15 overs, MSD is batting on 38. Batting power play has been taken, we expect some fireworks from the Indian skipper. R Ashwin c de Kock b McLaren 19 (19b) ==================================================================================== Over 30 || Score 158/6 Slowly and steadily, Dhoni and Jadeja were stitching another crucial partnership for the team and after they had added exactly 50 runs for the sixth-wicket partnership, Jadeja was clean bowled by Jacques Kallis. During this partnership, MS Dhoni surpassed Mohammad Azharuddin as the highest scoring Indian skipper. India now need 201 runs from 20 overs. Ashwin is the new man in. RA Jadeja b Kallis 29 (30b) ==================================================================================== Over 25 || Score 118/5 Indian skipper MS Dhoni is fighting a forlorn battle for his team. Raina and Dhoni added 43 runs for the fifth-wicket partnership before Raina was run-out after Dale Steyn fired a magnificent throw from wide of third man. Ravindra Jadeja is the new man in and needless to say, India need another partnership. SK Raina run out 14 (20b) ==================================================================================== Over 20 || Score 91/4 Despite being under pressure, MS Dhoni is playing his strokes. We all know he is a master of a counter-attack, and even though it is tough considering the present scenario, Dhoni would leave no stone unturned in attempting for the same. Mahi is defending the good ones from the fearsome Proteas pace attack, but at the same time, is punishing anything that is slightly loose. ==================================================================================== Over 15 || Score 60/3 Ryan McLaren picked two wickets in his third over – of Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh to further hamper India’s chase. Kohli edged one to Kallis at slips while Yuvraj Singh was bowled for a second-ball duck. Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni are the two new batsmen at the crease and India desperately need a partnership here. Dhoni and Raina will have some respite for the time being as Morkel and Steyn are out of the attack. Yuvraj Singh b McLaren 0 (2b) V Kohli c Kallis b McLaren 31 (35b) ==================================================================================== Over 10 || Score 36/1 Rohit Sharma is batting on 4 off 26 deliveries and that can tell you the story about how bad is it for a batsman to be there in the middle of the crease. Virat Kohli on the other end is trying his best to find his momentum. Kohli has scored three exquisite boundaries so far, including two consecutive boundaries against Dale Steyn. His wicket is the key for the Proteas bowlers. ==================================================================================== Over 5 || Score 14/1 Dale Steyn to bowl the first over, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan to open for India. Steyn bowled a brilliant first over and continued to trouble the openers, especially Rohit Sharma. The right-hander took quite some time to connect with one of Steyn’s deliveries, and was cheered by the crowd once he did. The openers have realised – they are in South Africa! ==================================================================================== South Africa innings: Over 50|| Score 358/4 Shami finally ended AB’s brutal innings in the last over of the innings where the Proteas skipper was bowled as he attempted his favourite paddle sweep over fine leg. Duminy and AB added 107 runs for the fourth wicket within no time and both of them played incredible cameos towards the end. Duminy remained unbeaten on 59 off 29 balls and India need to chase a mammoth 359 runs to win the match! AB de Villiers b Mohammed Shami 77 (47b) ==================================================================================== Over 47 || Score 310/3 JP Duminy clobbered two magnificent sixes off Mohammad Shami. Both the deliveries weren’t meant to be punished, but Duminy timed them extremely well and Shami conceded 16 runs in his ninth over. In the 47th over, skipper AB joined the run-feast and he scored two sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar and reached his half-century with the second six. Duminy hammered another six in the over and it produced 20 runs for them. These two are on a roll! One has to feel for the Indian bowlers. 36 runs scored in the last two overs. ==================================================================================== Over 45 || Score 274/3 AB and de Kock scored three boundaries off Jadeja’s ninth over after which Dhoni introduced Kohli into the attack, to slow down the pace of the innings. De Kock slapped Kohli over deep midwicket for a boundary but the trick worked for Dhoni as de Kock worked the next ball straight to Kohli and was dismissed after playing a magnificent knock of 135 runs. At the moment, JP Duminy and skipper AB are scoring boundaries all across the ground. These two have added unbeaten 27 runs in quick time. More fireworks expected in the last five overs. Q de Kock c & b Kohli 135 (121b) ==================================================================================== Over 40 || Score AB de Villiers and de Kock have now accelerated the pace of the innings and the Proteas skipper looks all set to play his unconventional strokes in the latter part of the innings. Ashwin and Jadeja are bowling from both the ends and we could see some big hits now. AB and de Kock have so far added unbeaten 51 runs within no time. Quinton de Kock 123* (117b), AB de Villiers 18* (22b) ==================================================================================== Over 35 || Score 188/2 Shami strikes again! In the 33rd over of the innings, Shami first beat Kallis off the first three balls after which Kallis slapped him for a boundary over point. But Shami had the last laugh as Kallis hit the fifth ball of the over straight to Jadeja at covers. Skipper AB de Villiers is the new man in. India have managed to slow down the momentum for the hosts in the last few overs. Meanwhile, Quinton de Kock reached his second ODI ton and he has batted beautifully today. South Africa would want him to bat till the end to reach a huge total. JH Kallis c Jadeja b Mohammed Shami 10 (14b) ==================================================================================== Over 30 || Score 152/1 Mohammad Shami got the first breakthrough for the team when Hashim Amla was surprised with the bounce and he defended the ball half-heartedly and the ball hit the stumps off an inside-edge. So India have finally managed to strike. That wicket ended 152-run stand for the first wicket. Jacques Kallis is the new man at the crease. HM Amla b Mohammed Shami 65 (88b) ==================================================================================== Over 25 || Score 120/0 And India continue to search for their first breakthrough. The openers have added 120 runs now and the spinners have managed to make no sort of impact so far. Dhoni would be a worried skipper at the moment as the openers are batting without any worries at the moment. ==================================================================================== Over 20 || Score 97/0 Quinton de Kock reached his half-century as he worked a ball towards deep point for a single in the 19th over off Ashwin. These two have now added 94 runs for the first wicket and the signs so far haven’t been good for India. Mohammad Shami has bowled with a good line and length but the openers haven’t take any chances against him. ==================================================================================== Over 13 || Score 78/0 In the last three to four overs, the openers were a little watchful as they know they are already off to a great start. Quinton de Kock was offered some room in the 15th over by the innings by Ravichandran Aswhin, and the left-hander scored two consecutive boundaries. Hashim Amla has been comparatively slow but he can be dangerous as the innings proceeds. His wicket would be the key as well. Hashim Amla 31* (46b) Quinton de Kock 43* (44b) ==================================================================================== Over 10 || Score 53/0 It has been a superb start for their South Africa as both their batsmen are now playing their strokes and aren’t hesitating to punish anything that is loose. While Quinton de Kock was aggressive from the word go, Hashim Amla started to play his strokes in the eighth over of the innings where he first punched a delivery from Bhuvneshwar through covers for a boundary and then launched the half-volley over deep midwicket for a Six! Mohammad Shami was introduced into the attack in the tenth over of the innings and expectations would be very high from the young speedster. Hashim Amla 24* (31b) Quinton de Kock 27* (29b) ==================================================================================== Over 7 || Score 31/0 It was an interesting over bowled by Mohit Sharma where he created two chances for his team. First he bowled a bouncer to de Kock which had some width and the left-hander played a cut shot over point and the ball fell just short of Mohammad Shami at wide third man. On the very next ball, Hashim Amla got a top edge which went towards covers and fell short of Rohit Sharma. Mohit Sharma is bowling with a wicket-to-wicket line and the Proteas batsmen are currently struggling to score boundaries. ==================================================================================== Over 5 || Score 25/0 The openers are still unbeaten at the crease and Proteas are currently scoring at five runs per over. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohit Sharma have bowled the first five overs as India are still searching for their first breakthrough. ==================================================================================== Over 3 || Score 18/0 Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock opened the innings for South Africa and Mohit Sharma bowled the first over for the team. These two have added 18 runs in the first three overs. ==================================================================================== Toss: India have won the toss and elected to field. Johannesburg: It will be a clash of the titans when Indian team takes on South Africa on their home ground at Johannesburg in the first ODI of the three-match series. Indian team has had tremendous success in the ODIs this year and they would be seeking to win their seventh consecutive ODI title, which won’t be easy against the Proteas on their home turf. The advantage which India have is that their current squad boasts of some of the most in-form players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan. They have an all-rounder in Jadeja who can score briskly down the order and is also handy with the ball. Jadeja is currently number two in the ICC ODI bowlers’ rankings. MS Dhoni has proved his worth as a world class player and his ability to soak pressure in the most critical circumstances is something which separates him from most of the former Indian skippers. Dhoni would want to end the season on a high and show once again why they are the top ranked team in ODIs. On the other hand, the Proteas witnessed a shocking series defeat against Pakistan in the recently concluded ODI series. Their major concern would be their ability to fumble under pressure, something which the senior batsmen in the team will have to take care of. Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers will have to score most of the runs while Faf du Plessis, JP Duminy and David Miller too will be expected to deliver. Proteas have a fair advantage over the Indian team in the bowling department and the likes of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Tsotsobe can give the Indian batsmen a run for their money. It will be a high-voltage clash between South African bowlers and Indian batsmen. Squads: South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wk), AB de Villiers (c), Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, Ryan McLaren, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Lonwabo Tsotsobe India: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane