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NEW DELHI: Raipur’s Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium is buzzing with excitement as fans gear up to witness another masterclass from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Ahead of the second ODI on Wednesday, the star duo gave spectators a glimpse of what could be in store.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!During India’s net session on Tuesday, Kohli — fresh from a sensational century in the opening ODI at Ranchi — looked in supreme touch. He struck a couple of clean sixes off the bowlers, displaying the same authority that defined his match-winning knock.
Rohit, too, was present in the nets and spent time closely observing Kohli from the sidelines, much to the delight of those in attendance.India enter the Raipur clash with a 1-0 lead after a thrilling 17-run victory in Ranchi. The first ODI featured a vintage Rohit-Virat show, reminiscent of their exploits in Sydney, igniting the crowd and setting the tone for the series.The pair stitched a 136-run stand for the second wicket. Rohit scored a fluent 57 off 51 balls, laced with five fours and three sixes — enough to surpass Shahid Afridi’s long-standing record for most sixes in ODIs. The Indian skipper came into the match needing only three to go past Afridi’s tally of 351.Kohli was the standout performer with a brilliant 135 off 120 balls, hammering 11 fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 112.50.Watch the video here After a promising start from Yashasvi Jaiswal (18 off 16), India stumbled briefly as Rohit, Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) were dismissed in quick succession. However, partnerships between Kohli and KL Rahul — who made an impactful 60 off 56 — and later Rahul with Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 20) helped India post a strong 349/8 in 50 overs.South Africa’s chase began on the back foot, with India’s pacers reducing them to 11/3. A steady 66-run stand between Tony de Zorzi (39) and Matthew Breetzke brought them back into the contest. Cameos from Dewald Brevis (37 off 28) kept the pressure on, though half the side was down for 130.A defiant 97-run partnership between Breetzke (72 off 80) and Marco Jansen (80 off 39) suddenly tilted momentum toward the Proteas, but Kuldeep Yadav’s timely strikes swung the game back India’s way.Corbin Bosch (67 off 51) kept the chase alive deep into the innings, but India held their nerve, sealing the match by 17 runs. Young pacer Harshit Rana impressed as well, finishing with 3/65.The win gives India a crucial advantage as they look to clinch the series in Raipur. Fans now await whether the “Ro-Ko show” continues to headline India’s batting brilliance once more.
