Champions Trophy: India beat South Africa

World Champions India started their ICC Champions Trophy campaign with an emphatic 26-run victory over South Africa in the opening match of the tournament. Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden ODI hundred. Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja too contributed to the victory.

Earlier, South Africa won the toss and elected to field first. Indian openers Rohit Sharma (65) and Shikhar Dhawan (114) added 127 runs for the first wicket. India finished at 331/7 in 50 overs. Kohli (31), Dhoni (27) and Jadeja (47*) were other top contributors. McLaren took three wickets, while Tsotsobe took two.

In reply, South Africa lost two quick wickets. But, Robin Peterson (68) and AB de Villiers (70) added 124 runs for the third wicket to revive the South African hopes. The Indian bowlers and fielders bounced back to take wickets at regular intervals. South Africa finally bowled out for 305 in 50 overs. Du Plessis (30) and McLaren (71*) reduced the victory margin for India.

For India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja took two wickets each. Shikhar Dhawan was declared “Man of the Match”.