Veteran Indian batter Virat Kohli completed his half-century with a six, which drew applause from head coach Gautam Gambhir during the ongoing first ODI against South Africa. The match is being played in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30.
Kohli reached the milestone on the second ball of the 18th over of India’s innings. Corbin Bosch delivered a good-length ball that angled into the right-hander, and Kohli executed a wristy flick over mid-wicket to record his 76th ODI fifty, prompting Gambhir to applaud from the dressing room.
You can watch the video here:
King of the Jungle! #ViratKohli 🦁👑
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— Star Sports Tamil (@StarSportsTamil) November 30, 2025
Meanwhile, India’s No. 3 batter maintained the momentum by hitting the very next ball for another six. Bosch delivered a back-of-a-length delivery wide outside the off-stump, and Kohli smartly used the pace to loft it over deep point, registering his second consecutive maximum. You can watch the video here:
https://www.bcci.tv/bccilink/videos/UVIuTwPN
136-Run Partnership Between Kohli And Rohit Strengthens India’s Hold in 1st ODI
Batting first, India got off to a bright start through Yashasvi Jaiswal, who looked confident before being dismissed for 18 off 16 balls by Nandre Burger in the fourth over. Virat Kohli then entered at No. 3 and, along with Rohit Sharma, kept the scoring rate high as the hosts moved to 80/1 at the end of 10 overs.
In the 15th over, Rohit struck Prenelan Subrayen for back-to-back sixes off the first two deliveries. Later, in the 18th over, Kohli also hit two consecutive sixes off Corbin Bosch and, in the process, reached his half-century off 48 balls, the 76th fifty of his ODI career.
Rohit brought up his own fifty in the following over, reaching the milestone off 43 balls, marking the 60th of his ODI career. However, Marco Jansen ended his innings in the 22nd over, dismissing him for 57 off 51 deliveries, which included five boundaries and three sixes.
This wicket also broke the 136-run stand between Rohit and Kohli that came from 109 balls. At the time of writing, India stood at 179/2 after 25 overs, with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 83 and Ruturaj Gaikwad on 7.
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