India vs South Africa, 1st ODI - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: South Africa tour of India, 2022 Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow Date & Time: Oct 06, 02:00 PM LOCAL

South Africa won by 9 runs © BCCI

Sanju Samson did give a late scare but having to chase down 30 in the last over was a bit too tall a task. He did manage to score 20 runs from the last over, bowled by Tabraiz Shamsi, who ended up conceding 89 runs from 8 overs, but South Africa managed to secure a 9-run win and go one-up in the ODI series. Sanju Samson finished unbeaten on a 63-ball 89.

A flurry of wickets fall as India look to accelerate in the death overs. Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav and Avesh Khan have been caught in their attempt to go big. Sanju Samson isn't getting enough strike.

HALF CENTURY STANDShardul Thakur and Sanju Samson have stitched a fairly quickfire half-century stand but the required rate is only climbing. It has gone close to 14 runs an over at the moment.

Shreyas Iyer's counterattacking half-century has revived India's run chase

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TOSS:India have won the toss and elected to field. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been handed his maiden ODI cap. For the record, this contest will be a 40-over-a-side affair.

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson (wk), Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Siraj, Avesh Khan

South Africa (Playing XI): Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

In the news: Dwaine Pretorius has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series against India and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup due to a fracture of his left thumb.

Toss expected at 15:30 and play set to begin at 15:45 IST (if all goes well from hereon)

The rain has stopped.This is a different game going on out in Lucknow, really. Sigh!

It's raining again. As of now, if we can have a match start by 3:00 PM, maybe it can be a 45-over-a-side. However, even that seems unlikely at the moment.

Delayed start...

Toss in Lucknow has been delayed due to rain as the covers are on in the middle. Expect a start-stop sort of day as there was always showers in the forecast. While you wait for the rain to clear, you can read the preview for this game, wonderfully summed up by Telford Vice.

Prelude - Opportunities galore for India

With the focus firmly set on the T20 World Cup that begins later this month, the ODI series feels a little out of place. But that's how the cookie crumbles as far as scheduling is concerned now. As the blazers-clad squad with all the T20I regulars have already departed for South Africa, Shikhar Dhawan will lead out the ODI side that will have some new faces, and some old.

In case you missed it, the impressive top-order batter Rajat Patidar and fast bowler Mukesh Kumar made it to the squad, but are likely to have to wait for their turn. Expect Deepak Chahar to feature and get some much-needed game-time under his belt as he is also part of the reserves for the T20 World Cup at a time when India are dealing with having to name an 11th hour replacement for Jasprit Bumrah. In fact, they've decided to fly with just 14 for the World Cup. Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson should all be back in action in India colours today while Kuldeep Yadav, who has had an impressive few months with the white ball should play too.

As for South Africa, they have their T20I regulars hanging back and playing the ODIs. They come into Thursday's fixture at the back of a morale-lifting win in the final T20I which bore no consequence to the series that India had already won. What it did give them was the rhythm to carry forward - albeit into a different format.