Virat Kohli's 52nd ODI ton, backed by fifties from Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, powered India to a formidable 349 in the first ODI against South Africa in Ranchi. India controlled large portions of the contest with the bat, but the game tightened considerably during South Africa's chase before the hosts eventually pulled through to take a 1-0 lead. Here are the key talking points from the series opener:

RO-KO still central to India's ODI plans

After Yashasvi Jaiswal departed for 18, India once again leaned on the experience of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to shape their innings. With the new ball, the surface looked ideal for batting - true bounce, good carry, and the ball coming on nicely. But as it aged, the bowlers were able to drag the pace back. With the dew factor also in mind, Rohit and Kohli maximised the scoring in the first half of the innings. Rohit, dropped early by Tony de Zorzi, made the most of the reprieve as he raced to a 43-ball fifty, shortly after Kohli reached his own half-century off 48 balls. India stormed to 80 in the first 10 overs and 153/1 after 20, the century stand giving them an ideal launchpad.

The value of their experience became even clearer after Rohit's dismissal. Ruturaj Gaikwad got out cheaply and Washington Sundar contributed little apart from a six, allowing South Africa to tighten things up with disciplined spells and quick wickets. India were forced into a rebuilding phase, and Kohli - as so often - was the perfect man for the job. He absorbed the pressure, brought up his 52nd ODI hundred, and then shifted gears decisively with four fours and two sixes across seven deliveries. India's strong finish owed largely to Kohli's mastery, with Rohit and KL Rahul providing steady support. Ravindra Jadeja too came up with a cameo right at the end, underscoring the enduring influence of India's senior-most batters in the ODI setup.

When asked after the game if he'll only continue playing the ODI format, Kohli's reply was: "Yes, that's how it's always going to be, I'm just playing one form of the game." For a team still leaning heavily on its senior core, Kohli's words offer some clarity as well as security.

A testing time for the Indian bowlers

When Brevis fell to Rana, South Africa were 130/5 in the 22nd over. But over the next 10 overs, Marco Jansen nearly flipped the script. Much like his dramatic rescue act with the bat in the second Test in Guwahati, he unleashed another burst of counter-attacking brilliance, triggering anxious faces in the Indian camp. He opened his account with a boundary off Rana and then went after Kuldeep Yadav and Prasidh Krishna, with Arshdeep Singh also feeling the heat. A 26-ball fifty set up his charge, and he powered his way to 70 off 38 balls, trimming the equation to 123 from 17 overs. A half-tracker from Kuldeep brought his innings to an end, but it's unlikely to be the last time that India encounter one of Jansen's momentum-shifting assaults in this series.

South Africa's fight didn't end there. Despite the quick dismissals of half-centurions Jansen and Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch kept the chase alive, notching up his maiden fifty and dragging the equation down to 18 needed off the final over after they were 270/8 in the 40th over. While South Africa eventually fell short and India navigated the scares, the hosts walk away with a few concerns - particularly with a bowling unit that doesn't quite match the experience and assurance of their batting lineup.

Toss and dew: what do you do?

What do you do when you lose the toss, are sent in to bat, and know the dew will make defending tricky later? The only real option is to put up a big total and try to neutralise the dew - a method India have leaned on for the last few years. Including the 2023 World Cup final, which they lost after batting first, India have now lost the toss in 19 consecutive ODIs - a sequence with a probability of just 1 in 5,24,288.

Before this game, they had batted first in seven of those matches and lost four. Two of their three wins in that period came when they piled up 356 against England in Ahmedabad earlier this year and 296 against South Africa in Paarl in December 2023. On the other occasions, when they were restricted to 264 or less, the absence of scoreboard pressure made life significantly easier for chasing sides. So when they lost the toss again this time, the onus was on the batters to make it big, which they did and helped India take a 1-0 lead. But it was still only their second 300-plus total batting first in eight matches - 1 in 4. And unless they end their streak of toss losses, the batting will have to do all the heavy lifting, especially with the bowling department lacking in experience.