The Indian cricket team and the South African team have arrived in Raipur for the second ODI, scheduled to take place on Wednesday at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium.

India heads into the second fixture following a thrilling 17-run win over the Proteas in the series opener in Ranchi.
The Ranchi stadium witnessed a brilliant batting display from veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The ‘Ro-Ko’ carnival continued from where it left off in Sydney, captivating the Ranchi crowd with Virat scoring his 52nd ODI century and Rohit breaking the record for most ODI sixes.

Virat and Rohit put up a 136-run partnership for the second wicket. Sharma played a graceful innings, scoring 57 runs off 51 balls, including five fours and three sixes. His three sixes in the first ODI took him past Shahid Afridi’s record for most sixes in ODIs. Sharma needed just three more sixes to surpass Afridi, who held the record with 351 sixes from 369 innings.

Kohli scored 135 runs off 120 balls, with 11 fours and seven sixes, achieving a stunning strike rate of 112.50. Kohli has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 51 Test centuries to become the batter with the most centuries in a single format of the sport.

In the match, South Africa won the toss and put India into bat first. Yashasvi Jaiswal was removed after a promising start, scoring 18 runs off 16 balls. Rohit (57 in 51 balls, with five fours and three sixes) and Virat entertained the crowd with their 136-run second-wicket partnership. India lost their way in the middle with quick dismissals of Rohit, Ruturaj Gaikwad (8), and Washington Sundar (13), leaving India at 200/4. However, a 76-run partnership between KL Rahul (60 in 56 balls, with two fours and a six) and Virat, followed by a 65-run stand between KL and Ravindra Jadeja (32 in 20 balls, with two fours and a six), helped India reach 349/8 in 50 overs.

During the run chase, South Africa lost three quick wickets to Indian pacers and was at 11/3. A 66-run stand between Tony de Zorzi (39 in 37 balls, with seven fours) and Matthew Breetzke provided some stability. Dewald Brevis also played a fine cameo, scoring 37 runs off 28 balls, with two fours and three sixes, but South Africa was halfway down at 130 runs.
A 97-run partnership between Breetzke (72 in 80 balls, with eight fours and a six) and Marco Jansen (80 in 39 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) threatened India’s position, but Kuldeep Yadav’s timely intervention removed both players, reducing South Africa to 227/8.

Corbin Bosch (67 in 51 balls, with five fours and four sixes) kept the fight alive alongside the lower order, bringing South Africa close to victory, but they fell short by 17 runs. Harshit Rana (3/65) also performed well with the ball.
With this win, India has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. With this win, India has taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.