Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma guide India to victory against South Africa

India’s 2–1 ODI series win over South Africa in December 2025 unfolded as a three‑act drama: a Kohli‑powered statement in Ranchi, a dew‑soaked twist in Raipur, and a ruthless, title‑clinching performance in Visakhapatnam. Across these high‑scoring contests, Virat Kohli rediscovered a domineering rhythm, Yashasvi Jaiswal announced himself with a maiden ODI hundred, and India’s attack landed enough decisive blows to keep a spirited South African side at bay.​

The series formed part of South Africa’s all‑format tour of India in 2025–26, with the ODIs squeezed between heavyweight red‑ball battles and a looming T20 calendar. Playing in familiar, batting‑friendly conditions in Ranchi, Raipur and Visakhapatnam, India leaned on their established strengths at home but were pushed hard enough to feel the pressure before closing the door in style.​

The opening ODI in Ranchi set the tone and the tempo. India, asked to bat, built their innings around a commanding 135 from Kohli, a knock that looked like the return of his most assertive one‑day self as he controlled the middle overs and accelerated late to take India to 349 for 8. South Africa slumped to 11 for 3 in reply, seemingly out of the contest, only for Marco Jansen’s counterattacking 70 and Corbin Bosch’s 67 to drag them improbably close before they were finally bowled out for 332, 17 runs short, as Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna sliced through the lower order.​

Raipur then flipped the narrative. Once again, India’s batting did its job, and more: Ruturaj Gaikwad’s crisp 105 and another clinical hundred from Kohli, backed by KL Rahul’s unbeaten 66, powered the hosts to 358 for 5, a total that appeared to secure the series. Under heavy dew, however, South Africa’s chase gathered momentum after the early loss of Quinton de Kock, as their middle order paced the pursuit expertly and, taking advantage of a skidding ball and a blunted Indian attack, overhauled the target with four balls to spare to level the series 1–1.​

That set up a decider in Visakhapatnam, where India’s bowlers reasserted themselves. De Kock was at the heart of South Africa’s resistance, compiling a fluent 106 that held the innings together and kept them on track for a total well beyond 300. Each time the visitors threatened to break free, though, Kuldeep and Prasidh struck, sharing eight wickets between them and pinning South Africa to 270 all out, a competitive score but, on that surface, short of intimidating.​

The chase quickly became a coronation. Rohit Sharma took early control with an authoritative 75, driving and pulling with assurance as he and Jaiswal added 155 for the first wicket, draining the tension from the contest. From there, Jaiswal blossomed, converting a measured start into his maiden ODI century, an unbeaten 116 that blended clean hitting with calm tempo management, while Kohli’s brisk, unbeaten 65 at the other end hastened the finish as India romped home by nine wickets in just 39.5 overs.​

Threaded through the series were individual storylines that elevated the cricket beyond the scorecards. Kohli’s two centuries and a decisive fifty in the decider earned him Player of the Series and, perhaps more importantly, underscored a renewed attacking intent, reflected in a strike rate above 117 and a remarkable haul of 12 sixes across three matches. Kuldeep’s knack for striking at the death in both Ranchi and Vizag repeatedly broke South Africa’s lower‑order resistance, while Jansen’s defiant 70 in the first game and de Kock’s hundred in the last showcased the visitors’ resilience and hinted at how close the margins might have been.​

By the end of the week, the shape of India’s next white‑ball phase looked a little clearer: a rejuvenated Kohli anchoring at high tempo, a fearless Jaiswal slotting seamlessly at the top, and a bowling unit capable of adjusting from dry evenings in Ranchi to dew‑laden nights in Raipur and high‑stakes pressure in Visakhapatnam. For South Africa, the series offered both frustration and encouragement—a reminder of the gap in closing out big moments away from home, but also of a core batting group and all‑round depth capable of stretching one of the toughest home sides in modern ODI cricket.

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP via Getty Images