NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli looked promising and in sublime touch as the veteran batter stormed his way to his 76th ODI fifty in the first One Day International (ODI) in Ranchi on Sunday. Kohli kept hitting sixes through the innings and had five by the time of writing this report. Follow live updatesEach of them was cleanly struck, but the one he hit off Baartman over long-off was perhaps the finest.Kohli was on 23 off 23 balls, when Baartman came to bowl in the 10th over of the innings. After bowling two dot balls, Baartman pitched one Length ball around off stump at 136kph. Kohli got down the track, gave himself a little room and smashed over mid-off and over the ropes comfortably.Earlier, in the 8th over, he had struck a six over long-off on Andre Burger’s ball. Burger pitched it in the slot at 146.1kph outside off, and Kohli went up and over for six.Kohli also had a 136-run partnership with Rohit Sharma, who got out after scoring 57 off 51 balls.The three-match ODI series against South Africa marks the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. The two last played an ODI in Australia in October, where Rohit scored an unbeaten, match-winning 121 and Kohli remained unbeaten on 74. They put together a 168-run partnership. Both players now feature only in ODI cricket after stepping away from Tests and T20Is. After a 2-0 loss in the Test series, the Indian team will try to regain control and move ahead in the ODI series against South Africa.
