2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke made by India in the 1st ODI vs South Africa ft. KL Rahul's bowling changes

After a dreadful Test series against South Africa, India returned to winning ways in the first ODI at the JSCA Stadium in Ranchi on Sunday, November 30. The Men in Blue came out on top by 17 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

On the whole, it was an impressive performance from India. Brilliant half-centuries from Matthew Breetzke, Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch threatened to take the game away from the hosts, but they held their nerve at crucial junctures to get the job done. From a tactical perspective, however, there were a few talking points.

On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the first ODI against South Africa.

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#3 Mistake - KL Rahul should've kept his pacers on against Dewald Brevis

England v South Africa - 3rd Metro Bank ODI - Source: Getty

When Dewald Brevis came to the crease, South Africa were on the ropes at 77/4. Prasidh Krishna was in the middle of a decent spell, and it seemed like India had the game under control.

However, KL Rahul took Prasidh out of the attack after his fourth over and brought in Ravindra Jadeja, who Brevis was always going to attack. Giving the tall fast bowler a fifth over would've been a smart move against the young South African, especially since he loves taking on finger-spin.

Brevis put Jadeja under the pump early and got into his innings, something that wouldn't have been possible had Rahul stuck to one of his three specialist fast bowlers. On the whole, though, the Indian stand-in captain did well with his bowling changes.

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#2 Masterstroke - Virat Kohli picked the perfect moments to attack

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 3 - Source: Getty

Virat Kohli's ODI batting tempo has been as close to perfect as it can be over the years. In Ranchi, the superstar batter showed a new gear, one which hasn't always made an appearance in the 50-over format.

Inside the powerplay, Kohli was happy to play aerial shots down the ground off the South African pacers. He recognized early that the wicket was true, and that India would need an above-par total in conditions where dew was always going to affect the second innings.

Kohli's assault, which featured 11 fours and seven sixes, kept India ahead of the game at all times. He cut loose once he reached the three-figure mark, taking 20 runs off Prenelan Subrayen's last over and capitalizing on the positive matchup.

It would've been easy for Kohli to bat at a more sedate rate, with India not having batting beyond No. 7. But the legendary batter masterfully motored along at the exact rate that his team needed him to.

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#1 Mistake - Washington Sundar at No. 5 doesn't make much sense for India

Australia v India - ODI Series: Game 3 - Source: Getty

During the pre-match press conference, KL Rahul announced that he would be batting at No. 6. Then, during the first innings, it was evident that India wanted Washington Sundar to feature at No. 5.

However, the move doesn't make much strategic sense for India. Sundar isn't the greatest hitter of spin, and whether he has the strike rotation ability needed for the middle overs of an ODI is questionable.

While Sundar is an immensely talented cricketer who is good enough to grow into any role with time, he currently doesn't seem to be the right fit for the No. 5 spot. Moreover, Rahul struggled after coming to the crease and would likely enjoy keeping the position he has excelled at over the last few years.