Krishnamachari Srikkanth said that Virat Kohli’s hundred in the first ODI against South Africa overshadowed the contributions of KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja. Kohli amassed 135 runs to help the host nation post 349/8 at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi. In reply, South Africa were dismissed for 332 runs despite half-centuries by Marco Jansen, Matthew Breetzke, and Corbin Bosch.

Srikkanth mentioned that the stand between KL Rahul (60 off 56 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 20 balls) deserves credit. Kohli was sent back in the 43rd over before skipper Rahul, and Jadeja added 65 runs for the sixth wicket. Srikkanth added that Rahul’s brilliant effort with the bat was not recognised due to Kohli’s masterclass.

“Jadeja’s knock went unnoticed. He played at a different level. The partnership between Rahul and Jadeja was important. They went after the bowlers, and their strike rates show their importance. Nobody saw their impact because everything was overshadowed by Virat’s innings. They did the silent job for the team,” Srikkanth said.

should be batting at No. 4 or 5. I don’t understand the logic,” he concluded.

Kohli was named the Player of the Match for his 52nd hundred in the fifty-over format.