[IND vs SA 2025] 'Watching Rohit and Kohli play like that is always fun' - KL Rahul in awe of senior duo's match-winning show

India's interim ODI skipper KL Rahul revealed how much the dressing room enjoyed watching Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bat in the first ODI of the ongoing series against South Africa. Rohit and Kohli were involved in a match-winning 136-run stand for the second wicket in Ranchi.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Rahul spoke on the duo's legacy and also conceded that the environment in the dressing room is a lot more harmonious when the two experienced campaigners are around.

“Watching Rohit and Kohli play like that is always fun. They've made oppositions look silly and show why they are who they are. I've seen this for a long time — it's a lot more fun to see them around in the dressing room," stated Rahul.

The wicketkeeper-batter also admitted that despite the bowlers sticking to their strategies, he felt the heat throughout the run-chase as the South African batters kept coming hard.

"I’d be lying if I said there were no butterflies in my stomach. We're playing ODI cricket after a while and there are always expectations. But we kept taking wickets and the bowlers stuck to their plans. They pushed us and kept coming hard,” he added.

Rohit scored 57 off 51 and Rahul amassed 60 off 56, however, the star of the show was Kohli, whose 120-ball 135 fired India to 349/8 at the JSCA International Stadium Complex.

The Men in Blue emerged victorious by 17 runs after the Proteas were bowled out for 332 in 49.2 overs. Rahul also played a part with the gloves, being involved in four of the opposition's 10 wickets while Kohli also secured one catch. The ace Indian batter was awarded the Player of the Match award for his ton earlier in the contest.

India have begun the ODI leg of the all-format series on a positive note after getting whitewashed in the two-match red-ball series. The next two matches will be played on December 3 in Raipur and December 6 in Visakhapatnam.