IND Vs RSA, 1st ODI: Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan Shine As India Win By 8 Wickets Against South Africa; Take 1-0 Lead In Series - As It Happened

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first in the first ODI against India in Johannesburg, and things went downhill soon after. After a maiden first over from Mukesh Kumar, Indian bowlers set the tone as Arshdeep Singh removed the opener batter Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen on consecutive deliveries. Arshdeep took two more wickets in the first powerplay and put the Proteas under pressure. Then came the Avesh Khan show as he took the next four wickets to level Arshdeep. Eventually, Arshdeep completed his fifer with Andile Phehlukwayo's (33 runs in 49 balls) wicket who was the leading run-scorer of the Proteas innings. India started the chase with debutant Sai Sudharsan and versatile Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad lost his wicket early. Sudharsan made 55 not out in 43 balls and his 88-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (52 runs in 45 balls) helped India win by 8 wickets and also take a lead of 1-0 in the three-match ODI series against South Africa. Check the highlights of the IND Vs RSA match here (Scorecard | Match Report | Full Coverage) 

That's all from our side!

Biggest ODI defeat for South Africa in terms of balls remaining
215 vs ENG, Nottingham, 2008
200 vs IND, Johannesburg, 2023*
188 vs AUS, Sydney, 2002
185 vs IND, Delhi, 2022

Biggest ODI wins for India in terms of balls remaining
263 vs SL, Colombo RPS, 2023 *
231 vs KEN, Bloemfontein, 2001
211 vs WI, Thiruvananthapuram, 2018
200 vs SA, Johannesburg, 2023*

South Africa Captain, Aiden Markram: This is a difficult one. We would have wanted to bat well if we had won the toss and batted first. The Indian bowlers deserve credit. We were down from the opening ball. I was unable to recuperate. We anticipated it to spin around a bit. It does a little bit in the first 6-7 overs. It lasted a little longer today, and they bowled well. It all comes down to people. It is up to them to analyse and plan for the future. In a particular scenario, we must make wise decisions.

India Captain, KL Rahul: I am content. It feels good to have a victory under your belt. The opposite of what we expected. The goal was to include the spinners in the game. The lads performed admirably. The lads did an excellent job of being disciplined. The ball continued to move. There is a lot of cricket going on. You like one format over another. For the time being, it's Tests and T20s. Everyone is working hard to accomplish good for the country. A great opportunity for them to get a taste of international cricket.

Player of the match - Arshdeep Singh (10-0-37-5)
I'm a little sore. I'm enjoying this moment. Thank you, God, and team management. It was a little different than usual grounds because I was out of breath. I am pleased with my performance. I'd want to thank KL Rahul bhai for saying you have to come back and retrieve the fifer. I think it's about appreciating the present moment. (On forthcoming matches) Focus on what will work there when we go there.

Brief Score: IND - 117/2 (16.4)
Sai Sudharsan - 55 (43),  Shreyas Iyer - 52 (45)  |  Wiaan Mulder: (4-0-26-1)

India Win By 8 Wickets!

5:40 PM: Phehlukwayo Gets Iyer!
Shreyas Iyer completed fifty with a six in style and in the haste of finishing the match early, lost his wicket. He departed after making 52 runs in 45 balls. Tilka Varma is the new batter at the crease with only 6 runs required to win.

IND - 111/2 (16)

5:35 PM: Iyer, Sudharsan Completes Fifty!
Sai Sudharsan hit a four off Phehlukwayo then took a single and made a half-century in his debut match. Shreyas Iyer smashed a four then a six to complete his fifty also in the same over.

5:18 PM: IND - 61/1 (0-10 Over Highlights)
Sai Sudharsan made his first international runs as a boundary through covers. Ruturaj Gaikwad looked in haste and lost his wicket after hitting a four off Wiaan Mulder in the second over. Mulder found him before the wickets as the ball hit his pad. He took the review but it was all red. Shreyas Iyer joined Sudharsan at the crease and looked in fine form. Both batters avoided any risky shots and made runs with simple cricketing shots. 61 runs were added in the first powerplay with the loss of Ruturaj Gaikwad's wicket.

4:50 PM: Mulder Gets Gaikwad!
Wiaan Mulder LBW out Ruturaj Gaikwad when he missed the front-line delivery and the ball went straight to the pads. Gaikwad went back to the pavilion after making 5 runs in 10 balls. Shreyas Iyer came at no. 3.

IND - 28/1 (4)

4:30 PM: India Start Batting
Debutant Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the batting for India and Nandre Burger opened the bowling attack for South Africa. Sudharsan hit a four to make his first international runs. Six runs from the first over.

IND - 6/0 (1)

Innings Break!

Target set for India - 117 runs in 300 balls

Brief Score: RSA - 116/10 (27.3)
Andile Phehlukwayo - 33 (49),  Tony De Zorzi - 28 (22)  |  Arshdeep Singh: (10-0-37-5)

4:00 PM: Kuldeep Gets Nandre Burger!
Kuldeep Yadav bowled the last man Nandre Burger as South Africa finished their inning with 116 runs on the board.

RSA - 116/10 (27.3)

3:46 PM: Arshdeep Completes Fifer!
Arshdeep Singh completed his fifer when Andile Phehlukwayo was given LBW out by the umpire in the 26th over. However, he reviewed it and it was all-red in three and Arshdeep Singh completed his fifer. Tabraiz Shamsi is the new batter at the crease for the last wicket. 

RSA - 101/9 (25.1)

3:20 PM: RSA - 87/8 (11-20 Over Highlights)
Indian bowlers, especially Avesh Khan dominated in this phase as he picked four wickets and levelled Arshdeep's wicket-tally in the match. Both the bowlers have the opportunity to complete their respective fifers. Avesh first bowled Aiden Markram and then removed Wiaan Mulder with LBW in the same over. He got the wicket of David Miller by caught behind and also removed Keshav Maharaj in the last overs of the phase. only 35 runs were made in the last 10 overs that too when Andile Phehlukwayo smashed one four and then a six on the last two deliveries of Mukesh Kumar's over.

3:10 PM: Avesh Gets Another Wicket!
Avesh Khan got his fourth wicket of the match when Keshav Maharaj tried to hit the ball but got top on the bat and found the fielder at short cover. 

RSA - 73/8 (17)

2:45 PM: Avesh Removes Miller!
Avesh Khan got another wicket in the form of David Miller. He tried to hit it but got an edge and was caught easily by the keeper KL Rahul. South African batters are throwing their wickets. Kesh Maharaj is the new batter at the crease with Andile Phehlukwayo.

RSA - 58/7 (13)

2:30 PM: Avesh Khan Gets Two-In-Two
Avesh Khan continued his attack from the other side and bowled captain Aiden Markram on the first delivery and got all-rounder Wiaan Mulder out on LBW. It was an umpire's call. This is South Africa's lowest total after the loss of sixth wicket in ODIs at home.

RSA - 54/6 (11)

2:25 PM: RSA - 52/4 (0-10 Overs Highlights)
South Africa opted to bat first and opened the batting with a defensive approach. Mukesh Kumar bowled a maiden first over. Arshdeep Singh started the bowling attack from the other side and shattered the Proteas top-order single-handedly. He removed Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen on back-to-back deliveries in his first over. Then, Tony De Zorzi was caught out by keeper KL Rahul in the eighth over. He bowled power-hitter batter, Heinrich Klaasen on the last delivery of his fifth over. He got a four-fer in the five overs. South African batting line-up is collapsing.

2:20 PM: Arshdeep Is On Fire!
Arshdeep Singh got his fourth wicket in the match as he bowled Heinrich Klaasen in the tenth over of the match. Arshdeep has a four-fer in just five overs. 

2:05 PM: Arshdeep Gets De Zorzi
Arshdeep Singh struck again and removed opener batter Tony de Zorzi in the eighth over when he tried to hit him for a six but got top-edged and KL Rahul took an easy catch. Heinrich Klaasen replaced him at the crease.

RSA - 42/3 (8)

1:45 PM: Arshdeep Strikes Back-To-Back
Arshdeep Singh came for the second over of the Indian bowling and bowled opener batter Reeza Hendricks on the fourth delivery of his first over. Rassie van der Dussen came after him and Singh sent him back on the very next delivery by a plumb LBW. Captain Aiden Markram joined Tony de Zorzi at the crease.

RSA - 3/2 (2)

1:30 PM: South Africa start batting
Tony de Zorzi and Reeza Hendricks are out to start the game for South Africa. Hendricks took the strike. Mukesh Kumar opened the bowling attack for India. Loud LBW appeal on the very first bowl, but Rahul was not sure. One run from the wide. Impressive start from the Indian side.

RSA - 1/0 (1)

1:20 PM: Action Starts In A Few Minutes
South Africa skipper Aiden Markram won the toss and elected to bat against India in the opening ODI of the three-match series in Johannesburg on Sunday. India and South Africa have handed debut caps to 22-year-old top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan and bowling all-rounder Nandre Burger respectively.

1:05 PM: Toss Update

South Africa have won the toss and have opted to bat

Teams:

South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi

India (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar

1:05 PM: What Captains Said
Aiden Markram: We're going to bat first. This is a used wicket so, we'd want to bat first and have two spinners on the pitch. Hats out to the folks on a terrific day. Both teams will hopefully put on a good show for them. Burger makes his debut on this momentous day. There have never been more opportunities than now.

KL Rahul: No, I haven't played since the World Cup final. I spent the day watching a lot of cricket on TV since the Pink ODI is a huge deal in South Africa. I'm looking forward to a great game. There was some spin, and the message was, "We'll try to put pressure on them." Today marks the debut of Sai Sudharsan. There are a few names who have played a significant amount of IPL cricket. Ruturaj performed admirably, Tilak appears to be exciting, and Sanju is always entertaining. We have Axar and Kuldeep who would want to see some spin. They understand what pressure is and how to deal with it. They all have IPL experience, which should aid them here and allow them to execute to the best of their abilities.

12:50 PM: Update
South Africa will play in a pink jersey today to raise awareness about breast cancer. We're also hearing that today's game will be played on the same field as the third T20I.

12:45 PM: Pitch Report - 1st ODI
The pitch at Wanderers Stadium has been often considered as conducive for batting. Continuous rain in South Africa, on the other hand, may bring moisture, assisting bowlers.

12:20 PM: Head To Head Record
India and South Africa have clashed with each other in ODIs 91 times. South Africa have an edge in the head-to-head records as the Proteas side have emerged victorious on 50 occasions while India have won only 38 matches. Three matches ended with no results.

12:00 PM: Preview!
Lots of absentees for India for their ODI series against South Africa, including Deepak Chahar, who stayed home to deal with a family emergency. Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, did join the squad, albeit only for one match; he will link up with the Test squad upon the conclusion of the first ODI. 

India will also be coached by the regular India 'A' coaching team of Sitanshu Kotak, Rajib Datta, and Ajay Ratra after Rahul Dravid and Co decided to focus on Test preparations instead. 

ODI Squads
India
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Tilak Varma, Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (C)(wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mukesh Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Akash Deep

South Africa
Aiden Markram (c), Ottniel Baartman, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Mihlali Mpongwana, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne and Lizaad Williams