Images from the first One-Day International between South Africa and India, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
An inexplicable middle-order collapse ensured that fine half-centuries from Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli did not count for much as India was handed a 31-run defeat by a resolute South Africa in the opening One-day International, in Paarl, on Wednesday.
Chasing a challenging 297, India were cruising at 138 for 1 before wickets fell in a heap and they ended up with just 265 for 8 from their 50 overs.
South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma (110 off 143) and Rassie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96) had earlier scored contrasting hundreds in a 204-run stand as South Africa put up 296 for 4 after opting to bat.
India were comfortably placed when Kohli (51 off 63) and Dhawan (79 off 84) were in the middle, but it all came crashing down with the end of their 92-run stand.
India have been guilty of relying too much on their top three in the past and once again the middle-order could not capitalise on the platform provided by Kohli and Dhawan after they lost skipper K L Rahul (12) cheaply.
Chase master Kohli, playing his first game since his captaincy tenure ended across formats last week, hardly broke a sweat in reaching his half-century before a sweep-shot off Tabraiz Shami, a stroke he doesn't play regularly, led to his downfall, leaving him in disbelief.
Dhawan looked in sublime touch during his stay and played the Test series' rising star Marco Jansen rather comfortably, collecting five of his 10 fours off the tall left-arm pacer.
The stage was set for the likes of Rishabh Pant (16), Shreyas Iyer (17) and debutant Venkatesh Iyer (2) to get the job done but they fell in quick succession, leaving India at 188 for 6 from a strong 138 for 1.
While Pant was stumped by a lightening quick Quinton de Kock, the shot selection of Shreyas and Venkatesh could have been better.
Shardul Thakur (50 not out off 43 balls) tried his best towards the end but the damage had already been done.
Earlier, after a sluggish start, van der Dussen and Bavuma shared the second-highest partnership ever against India in ODIs to ensure a competitive total for the home team.
Jasprit Bumrah (2 for 48) was India’s stand-out bowler in an otherwise ordinary bowling effort.
South Africa opted to bat on a slow surface at Boland Park. The white ball did a bit early on as both Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar moved it off the pitch as well as in the air.
After an inaccurate first over, the usually accurate Bumrah got his act together and had opener Janneman Malan (6) caught behind with an out-swinger.
Expecting an incoming ball, Malan was caught on the crease, his loose stroke taking the outside edge.
South Africa struggled initially, scoring just 39 for 1 in 10 overs, as India’s bowlers did well to restrict the flow of runs.
Quinton de Kock (27 off 41), playing his first game since announcing his Test retirement, and Bavuma found the going tough with ball not coming on to the bat.
De Kock perished while trying to break the shackles.
Ashwin, featuring in his first ODI since June 2017, found de Kock's stumps with a slider as the opener went for a cut shot.
Soon the scoreboard read 68 for 3, when Aiden Markram was run-out from a direct hit by Venkatesh Iyer, in the 18th over, while going for a single that was not for the taking.
At that stage, it seemed South Africa would find it tough to get past 200, but a fighting stand between Dussen and Bavuma changed the course of the innings.
The Indian bowlers looked rather ordinary in the middle overs as the well-set South African pair rotated strike regularly while hitting the odd boundary.
Van der Dussen was the aggressor in the partnership from the word go as Bavuma played anchor. Dussen used the reverse sweep for four runs off Yuzvendra Chahal to put the leg spinner under pressure before using the conventional sweep twice to collect more boundaries.
He later used a free-hit to smash a Shardul Thakur full toss for a six as South Africa's innings found much-needed momentum. Two pick up shots on one knee for six over deep backward square were the highlight of van der Dussen's entertaining knock. He finished unbeaten with nine fours and four sixes.
Bavuma was happy picking singles at the other end while anything loose on offer was put away behind the ropes.
The skipper got to his hundred in the 45th over while his batting partner achieved the milestone in 48th. It was the second ODI hundred for both the batters.
The last over bowled by Thakur went for 17 runs, taking the hosts close to 300.
Thakur was the most expensive bowler, bleeding 72 in his quota of 10 overs even as the sixth bowling option, Venkatesh Iyer, was not used.
