New Delhi, Dec 1: Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar has lauded Virat Kohli’s disciplined and calculated approach after the talismanic batter struck a match-winning century against South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi.

Kohli was at his brilliant best as he blasted 135 from just 120 deliveries, his 52nd ODI century, on Sunday and in the process help India to a 17-run triumph and a 1-0 series lead in the three-game ODI series against the Proteas.

Reflecting on Kohli’s technique and temperament, Gavaskar said the India talisman succeeds because he understands his own game better than anyone else.

“He is the type of batter who can’t go bang-bang straight away. Some batters can, but Kohli knows his game inside out, and he knows that’s not his strength. His strength is striking the ball through the covers, playing the straight drive and the flick. Yes, he’ll occasionally play the bottom-hand flick for six Over square-leg or mid-wicket, but otherwise he plays in the V. That’s the safest way to bat, especially when the pitch may keep low or the ball may move around,” Gavaskar said on JioStar.

He also highlighted Kohli’s exceptional running between the wickets, which he believes remains a defining feature of the former captain’s batting.

“The running between the wickets is crucial, singles are the lifeblood of batting in any format. You keep taking singles and your innings keeps flowing. Even if the crowd wants quicker scoring, he bats as the team needs,” Gavaskar noted.

Kohli also shared a 136-run stand with former skipper Rohit Sharma (57). This was the 20th stand of 100 runs or more between the two.

Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn lauded Rohit’s 57-run innings, during which he shattered the former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi’s world record for most sixes in ODIs by hitting three maximums.

“He batted beautifully. He gave one opportunity to Tony de Zorzi, could have been a different situation, but he capitalised well after that. He loves those cover drives and flicks, comes down the wicket when he wants to, and puts bowlers under pressure.

One particular shot summed up his innings for me: third man was up, point was up, and he just guided the ball delicately past short third man for four. It caught everyone off guard. He was reading the game superbly. He’s a fantastic batter. I love watching him, even though I never got him out,” Steyn said.

Notably, Kohli, playing his 306th ODI, and Rohit, playing in his 277th one-day international, combined for their 392nd international match together across formats, surpassing the legendary duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who appeared in a whopping 391 games between 1996 and 2012.

Ranchi, Nov 29: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma said it will be exciting to be part of a different kind of energy on the field when India stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are present for the ODI series opener, to be held at the JSCA International Stadium on Sunday.

With Rohit and Kohli back in action after playing in the ODI series against Australia in October, the chatter has been huge over whether the veteran duo can sustain their form and fitness to feature in the 50-over World Cup two years from now.

For now, everyone’s focus will be on how the duo fare against the Bavuma-led Proteas in Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam. “I think it’s exciting, right? It’s exciting for the locals, having the two living legends come back and play on Indian soil for a while.”

“So it’s exciting for us to be a part of a different type of energy when those two big guys are around. So it’s something that we’ll be looking forward to,” said Bavuma in a video posted by Star Sports on their Instagram account on Saturday.

Asked about the plans South Africa will have for getting the better of the veteran batting duo, Bavuma said, “I think like any other players, we will do our preparation around them, come up with whatever tactics that we come up with. But we know that the energy is going to be a little bit different, but it’s an exciting one.”

“From a captaincy point of view, I don’t think much really changes for my side. I think you obviously want to lead with the bat, and then you want to lead the guys out there tactically on the field. So, nothing really, I don’t think much really changes,” he added.

Mumbai, Nov 28: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday named India’s squad for the upcoming ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup to take place in Dubai from December 12.

India, who are placed in Group A along with Pakistan and two other teams that will join them through qualifiers, will be led by Ayush Mhatre in the continental tournament. Group B includes Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Qualifier 2.

Teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who recently displayed his hitting prowess in the Asia Cup Rising Stars, will continue to spearhead the top-order batting for India. Vihaan Malhotra has been named India’s vice-captain in the tournament.

India have put together an exciting squad showcasing some of the brightest young talents poised to shine on the international stage. The team is further strengthened by four standby players; Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore, and Aditya Rawat, who add depth and reliable backup support.

India enter the tournament as eight-time champions, the most titles by any country in the competition. India missed out on the title last year after losing to current holders Bangladesh in the final.

The eight-team tournament will begin on December 12, with India taking on Qualifier 1 at the ICC Academy Ground in Dubai. On the same day, Pakistan will take on Qualifier 3 at The Seven Stadium.

India will next take on Pakistan on December 14 before taking on Qualifier 3 on December 16. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals, which will be held on December 19.

The final of the tournament will be played on December 21.

India U19 squad for Asia Cup: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra (vc), Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Harvansh Singh (wk), Yuvraj Gohil, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan A. Patel, Naman Pushpak, D. Deepesh, Henil Patel, Kishan Kumar Singh (subject to fitness clearance), Udhav Mohan, Aaron George.

Standby players: Rahul Kumar, Hemchudeshan J, B.K. Kishore, Aditya Rawat.