Description – the stuff that actually goes viral): Virat Kohli’s silky 52nd ODI hundred ✓ Marco Jansen’s 39-ball 70 ✓ Corbin Bosch’s insane six-hitting spree on debut ✓ Kuldeep 4-fer on comeback ✓ And then Prasidh Krishna bowling the final over with 18 to defend when he’d already leaked 78 runs… and nailing it! Absolute chaos in Ranchi as India beat South Africa by 17 runs in the series opener. Fireworks, tears, strangers hugging – this game had everything. IndvsSA PrasidhTheHero RanchiOnFire
Ranchi, 30 Nov 2025 – By the time the clock hit 11:30 pm tonight, half of Jharkhand was screaming, crying, or both. India beat South Africa by 17 runs in the first ODI, but honestly that scoreline feels like the calmest thing about the entire evening. This wasn’t a cricket match; it was a full-blown Bollywood thriller with Virat Kohli century, Marco Jansen carnage, Kuldeep magic, Corbin Bosch madness, and then – in the last six balls – Prasidh Krishna turning into 2025’s unexpected superhero.
It all started with Aiden Markram saying “we’ll bowl” and looking very clever for exactly 15 minutes. Ottneil Baartman, the lad with the slingy action, sent Rohit Sharma packing for a three-ball duck and then got one to rear up at Yashasvi Jaiswal – edge, gone. 11/2. Twitter was already writing obituaries.
Then Virat Kohli walked out, helmet strap still half-done, and the whole Ranchi just exhaled. He and Ruturaj Gaikwad put on 180 like they were playing gully cricket in Dadar. Gaikwad was timing it so sweetly that even the South African fielders were clapping one cover drive. Kohli got to his 52nd ODI centuries with that little push for two we’ve seen a thousand times, looked up at the sky, and the noise was so loud my phone mic gave up recording.
South Africa pulled things back with a couple of screamers – Dewald Brevis flying backwards for a one-handed blinder, KL Rahul smashing 60, and India finished on 349/8. Big score, but the dew was heavy and the boundaries tiny. Everyone in the stands was like “par enough hai na?”
The answer came quickly: no. Arshdeep swung the new ball like a banana, took two in the first over, Harshit Rana got Markram, and South Africa were 11/3. Game over? Haha, cute.
Matthew Breetzke (debut) and Marco Jansen decided to play the most annoying partnership possible from India’s point of view. Jansen especially – 70 off 39, six sixes, including one that landed on the roof of the new stand. At one point the required rate was 7.8 and South African supporters (yes, there were a few) were dancing in the aisles.
Kuldeep Yadav said bas karo – came back and took 4-52, spinning the ball square, wrong’un, googly, the works. Jansen skied one, Breetzke got bowled, and suddenly it was 267/8. Breathe, India, breathe.
But Corbin Bosch, playing only his second game, turned into prime Kieron Pollard. 67 off 51, six sixes, hitting Prasidh (poor Prasidh) into next week. With Nandre Burger, they needed 18 off the final over.
Rohit threw the ball to Prasidh, who’d already gone for 78. Twitter exploded: “why him?!”
First ball – full-toss, leg-bye. Second – dot. Third – single. Fourth – wide (stadium having a collective heart attack). Fifth – Bosch smashes to cover, Rohit dives, saves three. Sixth – yorker, Bosch swings, top-edge, Rohit takes the catch at cover.
All out 332. 17-run win. Ranchi went absolutely mental. Firecrackers outside the stadium till 1 am, people hugging strangers, auto drivers giving free rides. One guy in the media box was literally crying.
Kohli, Player of the Match: I thought we were 20 short to be honest. But the boys held nerve. Prasidh – take a bow, lad.Prasidh, still shaking: I just tried to bowl six yorkers. Only managed one, but it worked. Trending everywhere right now: #PrasidhKrishna #IndvsSA #RanchiOnFire #Kohli100 #BoschStorm
Next match in Gwalior on 3rd Dec. If it’s half as mad as tonight, cancel all plans.
Sources (actual places I stole Wi-Fi from tonight):
• Press box Wi-Fi, JSCA Stadium (still smelling of Maggi and tension)
• ESPNcricinfo ball-by-ball (my second screen whole night)
• Cricbuzz live updates
• Random X threads that had better camera angles than the big screen
