India vs South Africa 2015, 1st ODI: Player Ratings

Tahir picked up the crucial Sharma wicket which changed the course of the match

South Africa

Quinton de Kock - 7/10

De Kock along with Hashim Amla got the team off to a good start. The wicket-keeper was dropped from the T20 squad, but he showed glimpses of his brilliance on top of the order with his timely knock. He looked promising in the middle scoring a host of boundaries before a brilliant delivery from Ashwin saw the end of his cameo knock.

Hashim Amla - 7.5/10

Amla is considered to be one of the top batsmen in ODI cricket, and he showed exactly why with his composed innings of 37 on the top. His brief innings included some wonderful shots before he was bamboozled by a Mishra delivery.

Faf du Plessis - 8/10

The T20 captain stitched a 59-run partnership along with Hashim Amla on top and laid a solid foundation with his mature knock of 62. He looked in good touch throughout the match after promoting himself ahead of ODI captain AB de Villiers.

AB de Villiers - 9.5/10

AB de Villiers showed why he is considered as the best batsman in the world, with his outstanding century, which came off just 73 deliveries. The fact that De Villiers took just 19 balls to reach from 50 to 100, reminded why he is the best finisher in the game.

David Miller - 5/10

Miller came in the middle ahead of the in-form batsman JP Duminy and looked set for a big knock. Interestingly the usually powerful Miller did not hit a single boundary in his brief knock of 13. Miller couldn’t contribute much in the field either.

JP Duminy - 5.5/10

The man of the series in the T20 series, Duminy wasn’t really effective in the match today. He initially hit a six and looked set for a big score yet again, but did not last too long in the middle, scoring just 15 runs.

Farhaan Behardien - 8/10

Behardien along with De Villiers effected for 101 runs in the last 10 overs, which powered South Africa to a score over 300. His cameo knock of 35 off just 19 balls included some good shots. With his knock, he yet again proved his worth as a good finisher in the end overs.

Dale Steyn - 6.5/10

The usually powerful bowler, Steyn was expected to come out all guns blazing in the ODI format. But his bowling was nothing above average and even though he bowled good length on a flat wicket, he did go for a few runs and picked up a solitary wicket.

Kagiso Rabada - 8.5/10

The youngster held his nerve and bowled a tight final over to guide South Africa to a narrow win. Despite facing the likes of Dhoni and Binny on the other end, Rabada was calm and managed to bowl a brilliant final over. He was the bowling star for South Africa in the match.

Imran Tahir - 8/10

South Africa’s star spinner Tahir did get good spin on the ball and even claimed the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, just when it looked like India were walking away with the match. His dismissal of Rohit Sharma turned out to be the turning point in the match.

Morne Morkel - 6.5/10

Morkel had a quite match, picking up just one wicket, that of Dhawan. He did not get a chance to bat and couldn’t contribute much apart from his bowling.