India, Dec. 1 -- Virat Kohli reaffirmed his enduring value to India's ODI setup with a perfectly paced century that shaped his team's 17-run victory over South Africa in the series-opener, on Sunday. On a flat JSCA surface, Kohli (135 off 120 balls) controlled the tempo of the innings from the moment he walked in, anchoring India's imposing 349 for eight with an effort that blended classical stroke-play with calculated acceleration.

The value of Kohli's 52nd ODI ton became even clearer during South Africa's chase, which disintegrated at the beginning under sustained Indian pressure. With Harshit Rana's (3/54) triple strike and support from pacer Arshdeep Singh (2/64) and left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (4/68), India always got wicke...