The Indian cricket team clinched a nerve-wracking 17-run victory over South Africa in the first One Day International (ODI) yesterday, Sunday, November 30, 2025, but the match belonged entirely to one man: Virat Kohli, who smashed his record-extending 52nd ODI century.

The high-scoring thriller in Ranchi secured a 1-0 lead for India in the three-match series, but the performance of the veteran batsman reshaped the record books and delighted a massive home crowd.

Kohli’s Milestone: Most Centuries in a Single Format

Virat Kohli’s commanding knock of 135 runs off 120 balls was a masterclass in white-ball pacing. Crucially, his 52nd ODI hundred surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s tally of 51 Test centuries, making Kohli the first and only cricketer in history to score more than 51 centuries in a single format of international cricket.

• Anchor Role: Coming in early after the loss of an opener, Kohli built a crucial 136-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (who scored a fluent 57). Kohli then accelerated after reaching his milestone, hitting 7 sixes in a late surge to power India to a massive total of 349 for 8.
• Personal Best: The century was also Kohli’s 6th ODI hundred against South Africa, a record that he now holds outright.

The Near-Perfect Chase

Despite the daunting target, South Africa mounted a courageous challenge that took the game down to the final over:

• Early Collapse: South Africa’s chase began disastrously, with the hosts reduced to 11 for 3 by the relentless new-ball spell of Harshit Rana (3/65).
• South African Fightback: The Proteas, however, staged a remarkable recovery. Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (a blistering 70 off 39 balls), and Corbin Bosch (a defiant 67) all played phenomenal innings, pushing the score deep into the chase.
• Indian Finishers: India relied on the crucial spin of Kuldeep Yadav, who ended the match as the star bowler with figures of 4 for 68, taking out the set batters Breetzke and Jansen in quick succession. India finally dismissed South Africa for 332 in the final over, securing the 17-run win.

Kohli was rightly named Player of the Match for his majestic performance, which not only won the game but rewrote another chapter in the history of ODI cricket.

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