Watch: Fans' Special Gesture For Virat Kohli After India Icon Scores Historic 135 In 1st ODI vs South Africa
Virat Kohli received a standing ovation from the crowd after he scored his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI.
Batting icon Virat Kohli received a standing ovation from the crowd after he scored his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series in Ranchi on Sunday. Kohli's 135 (120 balls, 11b, 7x6) and his 136-run stand with long-time associate Rohit Sharma (57, 51b) was the engine room of India's charge to a 300-plus total. Kohli went past the three-figure mark with a boundary of South Africa left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, raising bedlam in the stadium, even forcing a spectator to invade the ground to touch the master's feat.
The 37-year-old was dismissed by Nandre Burger in the 43rd over after miscuing a pull, with Ryan Rickelton taking a stunning catch running backwards.
As Kohli was walking back to the dressing room, the crowd inside the stadium stood up to laud his heroics. A video of the same went viral on social media.
Standing ovation by ranchi crowd pic.twitter.com/SQ48ZTPT85
— Harshhu (@__payne_17) November 30, 2025
Earlier in the match, Kohli went past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the batter with most hundreds in one format of the game. Tendulkar has 51 Test hundreds, and Kohli now has 52 ODI tons.
Rohit too had a great platform to assert himself after being dropped at 1 but he could make only 57 before being trapped by Jansen.
Still, their 136-run partnership -- during a much-anticipated RoKo show -- would give confidence not to the two stalwarts but also the team management that they still belong to big stage and can serve India a bit more.
It was a flat deck but the Proteas bowlers were also guilty of not bowling a probing line and length.
Kohli walked in early after Yashasvi Jaiswal's 18 ended via a faint edge off Nandre Burger, and the Ranchi crowd immediately antcipated a reunion worth waiting for.
(With Added Inputs)
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India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Virat Kohli