Rohit Sharma guided India to a six-wicket win over South Africa at a vibrant Rose Bowl in the eighth match of the ICC World Cup cricket on Wednesday.
Man-of-the-match Rohit played a crucial innings of 122 off 144 balls with the second best contributed by experienced MS Dhoni who scored 34 off 46 balls.
India’s Pandya hit a boundary to push up the team total to 230, well past the target, with 15 balls remaining.
Earlier wily Indian wrist-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took four wickets as one of the pre-tournament favourites got their Cricket World Cup campaign off to a confident start by restricting South Africa to 227 for nine.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis won the toss in bright sunshine and elected to bat first. However, the clouds closed in and seamer Jasprit Bumrah (2-35) found prodigious movement in both directions to remove openers Hashim Amla (6) and Quinton de Kock (10) inside the first six overs.
Du Plessis (38) and Rassie van der Dussen (22) put on a patient 54 in 80 balls in a bid to rebuild the innings, but when the latter was bowled trying a reverse-sweep off Chahal (4-51), two more wickets fell in quick succession.
Chahal then bowled Du Plessis and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav trapped JP Duminy (2) leg before wicket as India's slow bowlers squeezed the run-rate and bamboozled the batsmen.
David Miller (31) and Andile Phehlukwayo (34) got starts but could not pass 50, while Chris Morris (42) and Kagiso Rabada (31 not out) put on 66 for the eighth wicket to ensure the side posted a score that gives them a chance.
The innings mirrored South Africa's World Cup campaign to date as their batsmen struggled to find form or fluency on wickets that were good for striking. They have lost their opening two matches to England and Bangladesh, while India are playing their first game.
