5th ODI: Virat Kohli and Co create history, win first ever ODI series in SA

India captain Virat Kohli is ecstatic after Hardik Pandya dismisses South African batsman JP Duminy during the fifth ODI at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth yesterday. Pic/AFP

India captain Virat Kohli is ecstatic after Hardik Pandya dismisses South African batsman JP Duminy during the fifth ODI at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth yesterday. Pic/AFP

In one of the most unkind venues in South Africa for visiting teams, Virat Kohli's men created history at St George's Park here yesterday as Team India defeated the hosts by 73 runs to clinch their maiden ODI series in the Rainbow Nation.

The fifth ODI win, which helped Kohli & Co. take an unassailable 4-1 lead in the six-match series, was India's first-ever series victory in South Africa across all formats. Indian opener Rohit Sharma ended a South African hoodoo when he hit a century to help India post 274 for seven after the tourists were sent in to bat in a match.

Rohit's 17th one-day international century was his first major innings in three tours of SA. In 19 previous innings across both Tests and ODIs, his previous highest score was 47 and he had scored 249 runs at an average of 13.11.

The Proteas managed only 201 in 42.2 overs, thanks to four wickets from Kuldeep Yadav and a couple each from Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal. SA started on a positive note with the openers Aiden Markram and Hashim Amla (71) putting up a 52-run opening stand.

Brief scores
India 274-7 in 50 overs (Rohit 115, V Kohli 36; L Ngidi 4-51) bt SA 201 in 42.2 overs (H Amla 71, H Klaasen 39; K Yadav 4-57) by 73 runs

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