At a stage of his career where every One-Day International outing carries added scrutiny, Virat Kohli crafted a statement innings on Sunday, producing a commanding century, the 52nd of his ODI career, to lift India to an imposing 349 for 8 in the first ODI against South Africa.

Kohli’s fluent 135, spanning 120 balls and embellished with seven sixes and 11 fours, formed the backbone of India’s effort on a largely benign JSCA Stadium surface. His authoritative knock also came at a time when India have only six ODIs scheduled over the next eight months and the 36-year-old now features exclusively in this format. The innings, therefore, doubled as a reminder of his enduring value to the national set-up.

India’s innings was built around a 136-run second-wicket stand between Kohli and Rohit Sharma (57 off 51), rekindling the much-anticipated ‘RoKo’ pairing. Rohit, dropped on 1 by Tony de Zorzi at mid-wicket, settled into rhythm quickly, dispatching Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch with well-timed drives and pulls before the left-arm seamer trapped him leg before.

Kohli had walked in early following Yashasvi Jaiswal’s dismissal for 18 off Nandre Burger, and the Ranchi crowd sensed the reunion they had long awaited. A clean six over mid-off off Burger announced his touch; a silken cover drive confirmed it. With South Africa’s pacers wavering in line and length, stand-in captain Aiden Markram turned to off-spinner Pranelan Subrayen, but the runs continued to flow.

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Kohli brought up his fifty with a six off Bosch, while Rohit reached his half-century with a single. But India briefly lost momentum after Rohit’s departure. Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar, promoted to No. 5, fell to Ottneil Baartman in quick succession, slowing the charge before Kohli regained control.

His century arrived amidst drama when a fan breached security, knelt at his feet and was swiftly escorted away. The milestone underscored his ability to adapt, particularly after the 34th over when only one of two balls in use remains available, making stroke-making more demanding on a softening surface.

Even as KL Rahul (60) struggled to accelerate against Subrayen, Kohli dismantled the off-spinner with two sixes and a four in an over worth 21 runs. The late flourish reaffirmed that his hunger remains undiminished, even with the next World Cup still distant on the horizon.

For South Africa, the attack looked toothless on a flat deck, their inconsistency compounding the difficulty as India built a total that should test the visitors in the series-opener.