India v South Africa
Wisden's review of the first ODI, India vs South Africa
15-Apr-2014
At Cardiff, June 6. India won by 26 runs. Toss: South Africa.
Shikhar Dhawan set the tournament alight with his maiden one-day international century - less than three months after an incandescent Test debut against Australia at Mohali. Cardiff was overcast when de Villiers won the toss and chose to bowl, but the sun quickly poked through, and the ball refused to do the bidding of a South African attack missing the injured Dale Steyn. Dhawan took advantage to put on 127 inside 22 overs with Sharma, then 83 in 13 with Kohli. By then, he had moved to three figures, from 80 balls, with successive fours off the costly Kleinveldt. And though India lost momentum after Dhawan's sweep picked out short backward square, Jadeja's unbeaten 47 in 29 balls reclaimed the ascendancy. A total of 331 for seven was the highest South Africa had conceded since Sachin Tendulkar made a double-century at Gwalior in February 2010. Ingram and Amla fell early, but Peterson - promoted to No. 3 - and de Villiers now gave the South Africans a sniff with an energetic run-a-ball stand of 124. India looked spooked until Peterson, having completed his maiden one-day international fifty, was stranded mid-pitch following a misunderstanding. Jadeja bowled tightly, wickets fell regularly, and McLaren's 61-ball 71 was mere gloss. There was worse news for South Africa when Morkel, who hobbled off with a quad strain in his seventh over, was ruled out of the tournament the following day.
Man of the Match: S. Dhawan. Attendance: 14,377.
Shikhar Dhawan set the tournament alight with his maiden one-day international century - less than three months after an incandescent Test debut against Australia at Mohali. Cardiff was overcast when de Villiers won the toss and chose to bowl, but the sun quickly poked through, and the ball refused to do the bidding of a South African attack missing the injured Dale Steyn. Dhawan took advantage to put on 127 inside 22 overs with Sharma, then 83 in 13 with Kohli. By then, he had moved to three figures, from 80 balls, with successive fours off the costly Kleinveldt. And though India lost momentum after Dhawan's sweep picked out short backward square, Jadeja's unbeaten 47 in 29 balls reclaimed the ascendancy. A total of 331 for seven was the highest South Africa had conceded since Sachin Tendulkar made a double-century at Gwalior in February 2010. Ingram and Amla fell early, but Peterson - promoted to No. 3 - and de Villiers now gave the South Africans a sniff with an energetic run-a-ball stand of 124. India looked spooked until Peterson, having completed his maiden one-day international fifty, was stranded mid-pitch following a misunderstanding. Jadeja bowled tightly, wickets fell regularly, and McLaren's 61-ball 71 was mere gloss. There was worse news for South Africa when Morkel, who hobbled off with a quad strain in his seventh over, was ruled out of the tournament the following day.
Man of the Match: S. Dhawan. Attendance: 14,377.