Related Links : India’s Tour of South Africa 2010/11 : India Player Pages : South Africa Player Pages : Scorecard of 1st ODI at Durban
The South African pace battery was too hot to handle for India in the first ODI at Kingsmead in Durban to result in a crushing 135-run victory for the hosts. India set to chase a target of 290 under lights were bundled out cheaply for 154 in 35.4 overs. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the Man of the Match for taking four wickets which included that of the big fish – Sachin Tendulkar early in the chase.
The crucial toss was won by Graeme Smith and his side batted first. India were given the difficult task of chasing under seaming conditions once the floodlights were in full glow. The visitors got an early breakthrough with Graeme Smith top edging his pull shot off Ashish Nehra to be caught at slip in the 4th over. South Africa despite this were moving at a fast clip thanks to an attacking knock from Hashim Amla, who got to a fifty in just 35 balls! India pulled things back with the double wicket blow of Colin Ingram (miscuing a pull off Munaf to mid on) and Hashim Amla to reduce the score to 82 for 3 in 13.3 overs. Amla, who made 50 from 36 balls with 8 fours was caught miscuing a slower one from Munaf which was well caught by Harbhajan around deep mid on.
The heat was on the Proteas as they were a batsman short in their line-up. However just when the team needed a big partnership, the experienced duo of AB de Villiers and JP Duminy provided the same to lift SA to 213 for 4 in the 36th over. AB de Villiers after scoring a busy 76 from 69 balls (with 7 fours and a six) was caught at deep mid wicket trying to pull a long hop from Rohit Sharma out of the ground. AB de Villiers had a massive stand of 131 runs with Duminy. India got a quick wicket after this when the left handed David Miller was bowled trying to cut a drifter from Raina. Around three overs later, JP Duminy tried a reverse sweep but only to get lbw to a quicker one from Rohit Sharma to leave SA at 244 for 6 in 42 overs. Duminy scored 73 from 89 balls with a four and a six.
South Africa finished their innings at 289 for 9 with Johan Botha (23 from 27 balls) and Wayne Parnel (21 from 19 balls) chipping in usefully. It was a poor show from the regular bowlers including Zaheer Khan who gave only 44 runs in his 10 overs taking two wickets but he along with Nehra and Munaf bowled at very slow speeds. Harbhajan Singh failed to create any pressure though part-time off spinner Rohit Sharma extracted quite a bit of turn to come up with figures of 7-0-30-2.
India then had a terrible start with the bat when a lazy Murali Vijay (0) missed to connect a 133 kmph inswinger from Dale Steyn to get caught in the crease in the fourth ball of the innings. The next blow came in just the 4th over when Tendulkar shuffled far too across and got a top edge to an uncharacteristic hook shot off Tsotsobe to get caught nicely by Steyn at short fine leg. After a brief lull, the wickets started to fall again and it was in the 11th over that Rohit Sharma got a faint nick to a seaming lifter from Morkel to the keeper. In the same over, Yuvraj Singh helplessly fended off a rising delivery into the slips to have India in tatters at 43 for 4.
The Proteas had to wait a little while now as Virat Kohli was joined by MS Dhoni who already had enough taste of these seaming and bouncing conditions. There was a fine partnership that was growing and when Johan Botha was taken to the cleaners, India was threatening to come back in the game. But it all ended when MS Dhoni backing up at the non-striker’s end got run out off a straight drive from Kohli in the 23rd over. India was back into a bad position at 95 for 5 with MS Dhoni walking off with 25 from 35 balls.
When the batting powerplay was taken in the 30th over, India lost Virat Kohli who tried to manufacture a pull shot for a boundary but only to get caught at mid wicket off Steyn. Kohli did well for his 54 which came in 70 balls with 2 fours and a six. He showed enough promise to have a berth in the test side in the near future. South Africa then chipped away with the wickets to bowl out India for 154 in the 36th over. Suresh Raina lasted 36 balls to score an entertaining cameo of 32 which included 2 fours and a six. But the left hander never showed that he had the technique to withstand the short stuff on this bouncy pitch unlike Kohli. Lonwabo Tsotsobe was the most successful bowler with 4 for 31 and unlike in the Test Series, he was quick and extracting plenty of bounce out of the track.