South Africa vs India 2018: 5 takeaways from the first ODI

Unlike the Test Series, India made a superb start to the Limited Overs leg with an easy 6-wicket victory over South Africa in Durban. A match that saw the captains from both sides score a hundred, it was Indian captain's hundred that ended in a winning cause.

Ably supported by India's new number four Ajinkya Rahane, the duo etched a monstrous partnership to make a target of 270 look easy after impressive bowling efforts by both the wrist spinners.

South Africa' batting struggles at the top order and inability to take wickets in the middle overs caused their downfall. There were a few takeaways from the first ODI at Durban, and here are five of them.

#5 South Africa need AB de Villiers

Still the most important player in South African Team

South Africa weren't able to score vital runs in the middle overs. Faf du Plessis was holding one end and scoring runs but South Africa lost wickets of their middle order batsmen at constant intervals. Between the overs 16 and 30, South Africa only managed 54 runs and lost four wickets to the Indian spinners.

Aiden Markram struggled to fill in the boots of the ever so dependent AB de Villiers

The maverick batsman was instrumental in the first two Test match victories and is still the most important player in the middle order. JP Duminy, David Miller and Chris Morris can hit the ball long in the latter part of the innings but South Africa need someone to hold the innings together along with their skipper and as things stand now, they don't have any option in the absence of ABD.

#4 Hardik Pandya is still not the all-rounder India needs

India needs him to bowl those 10 overs of the fifth bowler

This was India's primary issue even in the Test series. Hardik Pandya is the perfect batsman at number 7 for India, someone who can come and smash the ball out of the ground. However, he is not doing justice to his all-rounder tag. Being India's fifth bowler, Hardik has the responsibility of bowling those vital 10 overs in the second powerplay and give India breakthrough at regular intervals.

However, he has underperformed with the ball in the last 6 months which forced captain Kohli to play another allrounder in Kedar Jadhav. Pandya bowled only 7 overs, went for almost 6 an over and, most importantly, was wicketless. Playing two allrounders also hampers the depth of Indian batting line up as both Jadhav and Pandya are pinch hitters and not someone who can steady the innings in case of an early collapse.

#3 The Spin Twins are future of India

The duo shared 5 wickets between them

Few eyebrows were raised when Kohli announced that both spinners were playing in the match. The pitches in South Africa are usually pace-friendly and Shami would have been the logical option to partner Bhuvi and Bumrah.

Although the wicket in Kingsmead was expected to support more spin than pace, no one expected both of them to play in the match but they proved everyone wrong. 5 wickets in 20 overs at just 4 runs an over, that also on a South African pitch - that's how far these two have come ever since their debuts last year.

On the day where both the fast bowlers were having a rare odd day, the young spinners were making a statement of their own. This performance has assured that Chahal and Kuldeep are the future of spin bowling in India in limited overs format.

#2 Rahane fits perfectly at the number 4 slot

Seriously, why wasn't he playing at this position already?

The number 4 position is the most vital position in any batting order. You need someone who can steady the ship during an early collapse and when you need quick runs, he can score on demand. India has constantly struggled to find a stable batsman for number 4 position ever since Yuvraj Singh was dropped but after the match last night, they have definitely found the solution, even if it is only for the near future. Ajinkya Rahane's 79 off 86 balls was a specimen of the talent that the man possesses.

Often touted as someone who struggles to rotate the strike in the middle overs, Rahane stitched a record-breaking partnership of 189 runs with Kohli to take India close to the victory.

#1 Virat Kohli is on a different level

The Master of Run Chases

Virat Kohli is easily the best batsman of the current generation. Be it the longest format of the game or the shorter formats, captain Kohli is scoring runs all over the world. Such is the determination of the player that even after limping in and out of the ground after injuring himself while fielding, he scored a match-winning 112 runs that just took the game away from the opposition.

Not only this, the fact that most of the runs came by running between the wickets shows that nothing is above the game for this man. He was constantly rotating the strike with Rahane and even though he got out on a loose shot in the later stage of the innings, he had already done his work by then. This innings will rank as one of the best by the Indian captain, who seems to be batting on a whole different level, way above all his contemporaries.