India's fast bowling duo, Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan, caused significant damage to the struggling South African team in the first ODI at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday, resulting in one of their poorest performances on home turf.
Working together, Arshdeep and Avesh wreaked havoc on the Proteas, dismissing them for a mere 116 runs. This marked South Africa's lowest ODI total on their home turf.
Their previous lowest score was also achieved against India, with 118 runs at Centurion in 2018.
On a pitch favoring fast bowlers, Arshdeep had exceptional control over the ball and secured his first five-wicket haul in 50-over matches.
In the initial shift, Avesh also displayed exceptional speed and aggression, achieving an impressive record of 4 wickets for 27 runs in 8 overs. Together, the two fast bowlers secured a total of nine wickets, marking the highest count by Indian pacers against South Africa in a single ODI innings.
The Indian fast bowlers' previous highest wicket haul in this format was eight wickets, achieved first at Mohali in 1993 and then again at Centurion in 2013.
Arshdeep's remarkable bowling performance made him the first Indian fast bowler to take five wickets against South Africa in ODIs, despite facing criticism for his inconsistent displays in limited-overs matches prior to this game.
Three Indian bowlers had previously achieved the feat of taking five or more wickets in an ODI against the Proteas, but they were all spinners.
Sunil Joshi achieved remarkable figures of 5/6 against the Proteas in 1999, while leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took 5/22 in 2018, and Ravindra Jadeja secured 5/33 earlier this year.
Following the coin toss, South Africa's captain Aiden Markram made the unexpected decision to bat first.
The choice ultimately had negative consequences, as the Indian fast bowlers took advantage of the new and challenging pitch conditions to significantly impact the home team in the early stages of the game.
With half of their team quickly dismissed, the Proteas were unable to recover from the early setbacks and were ultimately bowled out for only 116.
The pivotal moment in the second South African innings occurred when Arshdeep, using his swift left-arm pace, skillfully dismissed Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen with consecutive deliveries, altering the course of the match.
India needed just 16.3 overs to successfully chase down the target in their reply.
In the first match of the series, newcomer left-handed batsman Sai Sudharsan's impressive 55 not out and Shreyas Iyer's quick 52 runs helped the visiting team take a 1-0 lead with an easy eight-wicket win.
