Ranchi, November 30, 2025 – A security breach at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi added an unexpected moment to India's first ODI against South Africa, during which a fan ran onto the pitch to touch Virat Kohli's feet shortly after the celebrated batsman scored his 52nd ODI century.
The incident occurred in the 38th over, immediately after Kohli reached his century by hitting a boundary off Marco Jansen. As Kohli raised his bat to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd, a young fan evaded security and sprinted onto the field. The fan slid to touch Kohli's feet, a gesture of respect and admiration for the cricketer. Security personnel quickly intervened to escort the fan off the field. Kohli, however, gestured to the security staff to handle the fan gently.
Kohli’s innings saw him surpass Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner with the most centuries against South Africa, now holding six.
Earlier in the day, South Africa won the toss and chose to bowl first. India's innings saw a strong start with Rohit Sharma scoring 57, including a record-breaking six that put him ahead of Shahid Afridi for the most sixes in ODIs. Sharma and Kohli together built a 136-run partnership.
KL Rahul is leading the Indian side in the absence of injured captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer. The team includes Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Dhruv Jurel. South Africa is without Kagiso Rabada, who is sidelined due to a rib injury.
The match is the first of a three-game series. The remaining ODIs are scheduled to take place in Raipur on December 3 and Visakhapatnam on December 6.
This series gives Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli a chance to shape their potential participation in the 2027 World Cup. It also serves as an opportunity for head coach Gautam Gambhir to address concerns after the Test series defeat.
The series is being broadcast on Star Sports Network, with live streaming available on JioStar.
