Ruturaj Gaikwad turned Raipur into his proper arrival stage in ODI cricket, and Virat Kohli has been right beside him, squeezing the life out of South Africa one over at a time.

Gaikwad fulfils his promise

Gaikwad’s maiden ODI hundred came in emphatic style – a pull shot off Corbin Bosch, rolling his wrists over a short ball and thudding it in front of square to reach 100 from 77 deliveries. Helmet off, bat raised, he barely had time to saok it in before Kohli was at his side, the two sharing a brief embrace that summed up the partnership.

From the moment Gaikwad walked in after the early wobble, he looked completely in tempo with the pitch. He began with confidence, letting the ball come, and timing his shots to perfection. Once he was in, the range expanded: the swivel pull off the quicks, the inside-out shots against spin, the sweeps, the step outs, everything was there.

Every time South Africa thought they had dragged the rate back, Gaikwad found a boundary to break the play open again. Notably, his century was the second fastest by an Indian against South Africa, behind the 68-ball century by Yusuf Pathan. Ultimately, Ruturaj Gaikwad fell after scoring 105 runs off just 83 balls in an attempt to further up the scoring rate.

Virat Kohli gets to his 53rd

At the other end, Virat Kohli has done what he does best in the format – build an innings so methodically that you only realise the damage when you look up at the scoreboard. He absorbed the early hostility, played lade under his eyes, and then, almost without visible risk, started threading gaps through cover and mid-wicket. The running between the wickets has been relentless; twos turned from ones, pressure piled over the bowlers, and any fielder even slightly slow to the ball instantly exposed.

It was the second hundred in consecutive matches. He scored a brilliant 135 off 120 in the first match in Ranchi. The great man has cashed in on his form and scored his 53rd ODI and 84th International hundred. Kohli reached the landmark with a single off Marco Jansen. He pushed the delivery with light hands towards long-on and reached the landmark. Kohli’s century came off 90 deliveries.

Notably, this is the 10th time Kohli has scored hundred in back to back innings. This knock would help him reduce the noise and consolidate his place in the flight that departs for the ODI World Cup in South Africa. His innings ended at 102 off 93 off Lungi Ngidi’s bowling.