India enter the Raipur clash with a 1-0 lead after a thrilling 17-run win in Ranchi. (PTI photo) NEW DELHI: The Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur is buzzing with excitement as fans prepare to witness yet another masterclass from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Ahead of the second ODI on Wednesday, the star duo gave the audience a glimpse of what could happen.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!During India’s clean sheet on Tuesday, Kohli – fresh from a sensational century in the opening ODI in Ranchi – looked supreme. He hit a couple of clean sixes off the bowlers, displaying the same authority that defined his match-winning knock.
Do you still have doubts? Virat Kohli trumpets the World Cup with another masterclass
Rohit was also present in the nets and spent time watching Kohli intently from the sidelines, much to the delight of those present.India enter the Raipur clash with a 1-0 lead after a thrilling 17-run win in Ranchi. The first ODI featured a vintage Rohit-Virat show reminiscent of their exploits in Sydney, rousing the crowd and setting the tone for the series.The pair stitched a 136-run stand for the second wicket. Rohit scored a fluent 57 off 51 balls, with five fours and three sixes – enough to surpass Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for most sixes in ODIs. The Indian skipper came into the match needing just three to surpass Afridi’s 351.Kohli was the standout performer with a brilliant 135 off 120 balls, hammering 11 fours and seven sixes at 112.50.Watch the video here After a promising start from Yashasvi Jaiswal (18 off 16), India stumbled briefly when Rohit, Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) were dismissed in quick succession. However, the partnership between Kohli and KL Rahul – who made an impressive 60 off 56 – and later Rahul with Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 20) helped India post a strong 349/8 in 50 overs.South Africa’s chase started on the back foot with the Indian pacers reducing them to 11/3. A solid 66 between Tony de Zorzi (39) and Matthew Breetzke brought them back into the contest. Cameos from Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) kept the pressure on even when half the side were down for 130.A rebellious partnership between Breetzke (72 off 80) and Marc Jansen (80 off 39) suddenly tilted towards the Proteas, but Kuldeep Yadav’s timely strikes brought the game back to India.Corbin Bosch (67 off 51) kept the chase alive deep into the innings but India held their nerve to seal the match by 17 runs. Young pacer Harshit Rana also impressed, finishing with 3/65.The win gives India a crucial advantage as they look to consolidate the series in Raipur. Fans are now anticipating whether the ‘Ro-Ko show’ will continue to highlight India’s batting brilliance.
