Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma answered critics with their bats, shutting down the talks of retirement from the ODI format, giving the entire cricketing world another example of what they can still do on the field as India beat South Africa by 17 runs in Ranchi. While Rohit slammed a half-century, Kohli went on to emerge as the Player of the Match with a gigantic knock of 135 runs in the ODI series opener. As the cricket world went ga-ga over Kohli’s knock, a video involving Rohit and head coach Gautam Gambhir left fans scratching their heads.
As the match concluded in India’s favour, Rohit and Gambhir were spotted engaging in an animated discussion that left fans guessing about the matter of the chat.
— Nihari Korma (@NihariVsKorma) December 1, 2025
Fans couldn’t resist contemplating what the conversation between Rohit and Gambhir could be about.
As for the match, Kohli’s 135 off 120 balls powered India to 349-8 in 50 overs after the home team lost its 19th consecutive toss and South Africa opted to field first.
South Africa stumbled to 11-3 inside the powerplay. Fast bowler Harshit Rana (3-65) dismissed Ryan Rickelton and Quinton de Kock for ducks in the second over of the innings and Arshdeep Singh (2-64) removed skipper Aiden Markram.
The tourists made an impressive recovery after losing wickets so early in the game, with Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (70) and Corbin Bosch (67) striking aggressive half-centuries before the Proteas were bowled out for 332 in 49.2 overs.
“I just wanted to play the ball and enjoy the game of cricket,” Kohli said. “I’ve never been a believer of a lot of prep, all my cricket has been mental. I work physically very hard, as long as my fitness levels are up and then you visualize batting and feeling well, it’s good.”
The teams will play two more ODIs on Wednesday and Saturday, followed by five T20 internationals. South Africa swept the two-match test series last week.
With AP Inputs