Jacques Kallis hit an unbeaten 68 as South Africa overcame a fighting India by five wickets in Hyderabad on Wednesday to grab a 1-0 lead in the five-match limited-overs series.
Skipper Graeme Smith scored 48 off 36 balls at the start of the innings and Ashwell Prince chipped in with 46 as the tourists overtook India’s 249-9 with seven deliveries to spare.
Justin Kemp remained unbeaten on a typically brisk 46 off 51 balls after adding 84 in a match-winning sixth-wicket stand with Kallis.
The victory took South Africa’s unbeaten streak to 20 matches — 17 wins, two no-results and one tie — and left them just one short of equalling Australia’s world record of 21 consecutive wins in 2003.
India were in danger of a heavy defeat when they slipped to 5-3 within the first 15 minutes of play and soon became 35-5 after given first strike on a damp wicket.
Yuvraj Singh then hit 103, his fifth one-day century, to lead a superb Indian fightback before about 35 000 home fans at the brand-new Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on the outskirts of the city.
Yuvraj put on 75 for the sixth wicket with Irfan Pathan (46) and 49 for the seventh with Mahendra Dhoni (17) as the wicket dried out under the hot sun.
Tailender Harbhajan Singh smashed an unbeaten 37 off 17 balls, studded with two sixes and four boundaries, as India plundered 52 runs in the last four overs bowled by Makhaya Ntini and Andre Nel.
South Africa were 76-1 in reply in the 12th over when India hit back with the wickets of Justin Ontong and Smith off successive deliveries from Ajit Agarkar and Rudra Pratap Singh.
Kallis kept his cool to add 84 for the fourth wicket with Prince before the big-hitting Kemp joined in to steer the South Africans home.
”We started really well and set the standard for the rest of the day,” said Smith. ”There were some gutsy batting efforts after a good bowling performance. Kallis controlled the middle brilliantly and others batted nicely around him.
”Winning the first game is always important because it gives you a lot of confidence for the rest of the series.”
The remaining four games will be played under lights with the second one-dayer in Bangalore on Saturday.
Indian captain Rahul Dravid said losing the toss set his team back.
”There was a bit of moisture in the morning, which dried up in the later stages of the game,” he said. ”So, it might have been a different story had we won the toss. But I am proud at the way we fought back through Yuvraj and the others.
”There is a lot of cricket to be played in the series and I am confident we will be back soon.”
The morning dew played havoc with the Indian innings as Virender Sehwag fell off the seventh ball of the day, Mohammad Kaif in the third over and Sachin Tendulkar in the fifth.
Tendulkar was unlucky to be given out caught behind off Shaun Pollock, as television replays indicated the ball missed the outside edge of the bat.
Yuvraj, who hit 10 boundaries and three sixes, was run out in the 48th over.
Seamers Shaun Pollock, Ntini and Nel finished with two wickets each. — Sapa-AFP