KL Rahul was an elated captain as India registered a crushing eight-wicket victory over South Africa in the first ODI at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on Sunday (December 17).

Opting to bat first, South Africa’s innings folded for a paltry 116 on 27.3 overs. It was a listless batting display as no Proteas batter managed to hit a half-century. Andile Phehlukwayo was the top scorer with 33.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh starred with the ball for India, claiming his maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs. Right-arm quick Avesh Khan also returned with impressive figures of 4/27 in his 8 overs.

In reply, the visitors rode on half-centuries from debutant Sai Sudharsan (55* off 43) and Shreyas Iyer (52 off 45) to overhaul the target in just 16.4 overs.

“I am happy. Good to have a win under the belt. Completely different to what we expected. The plan was to get the spinners in the game. The boys did really well. The boys did well to stay disciplined. The ball kept moving around,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation.

For this ODI series, Team India have rested star batters such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Shubman Gill. Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah is also not featuring in the series.

KL Rahul emphasized on the importance of prioritizing formats with too much cricket being played these days. He further said that this series provides a great opportunity for youngsters to prove their worth at the highest level.

“There is a lot of cricket being played. You prioritize one format. For now, it is Tests and T20s. Everyone is performing and trying to do well for the country. Good chance for them to get a taste of international cricket,” he added.

With this victory, India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The second ODI will be played in Gqeberha on Tuesday (December 19).