After his match-winning hundred in the first ODI in Ranchi, South African all-rounder Marco Jansen said that bowling to Virat Kohli is fun and annoying at the same time. Kohli produced another master class innings, hitting a phenomenal 135 off 120 deliveries, including 11 fours and seven sixes.
Thanks to his innings, India posted a mammoth total of 349/8 in their allotted 50 overs. Watching Kohli in his primeJansen recalled his early days watching the Indian star play on television. He mentioned that it is both fun and annoying to mix with the Indian batsman and praised him for his wide range of strokes.
“It’s nice to watch him play. Growing up and watching him on TV, to actually bowl to him now — it’s annoying, but it’s fun at the same time. He drives well, he pulls well, he cuts well, he plays well in the pads. I don’t think much has changed — he’s just batting longer and longer,” Jansen said in a post-match press conference.
Jansen, who first bowled to Kohli as a 17-year-old net bowler during India’s 2017-18 tour of South Africa, said stopping a world-class batsman like Kohli is almost impossible once he settles down.
“When you bowl to world-class players, it’s quite difficult to get them out. I always try to get the batsman into his first 10 or 15 balls. That’s when they’re still getting used to the wicket. But once they’re in and they get into the game, it’s very difficult to stop them. Everyone here knows how to play – so go for plan B or C,” he added.
Jansen continued his rich form from the Test series as he scalped two wickets and played a sensational innings of 70 off 39 deliveries to keep South Africa in the hunt for 350. However, they were eventually bowled out for 332, resulting in the loss of 17 runs. After their defeat, he said the Proteas were not too disheartened by losing 0-1 and believed they were “doing the right things” despite India’s win.
“We didn’t play too badly. They got early wickets, we were on the back foot, then we pulled it back. It’s just about adding good things on top of each other like we did in the Test team,” Jansen said.
Meanwhile, after India’s commanding victory in the series opener, the series will now shift to Raipur for the second ODI where the two teams will meet again on Wednesday, December 3.
– The end
Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
December 1, 2025
