LUCKNOW: Powerful half-centuries from Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller steered South Africa to 249-4 against India in a rain-reduced opening one-day intentional on Thursday.
Klaasen (74) and the left-handed Miller (75) put on an unbeaten stand of 139 runs after the tourists lost their top four in the 40-overs-a-side ODI in Lucknow at the start of the three-match series.
The pair rebuilt the innings at a venue that witnessed a lot of rain for two days before play started Thursday afternoon and took the attack to the opposition.
Miller, who amassed 125 runs including a century in the three-match Twenty20 series which South Africa lost 2-1, reached his 18th ODI fifty.
Klaasen followed his partner to a fifty in the same over and the two changed gears with some luck from the fielders as Mohammed Siraj dropped Klaasen on 64.
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South Africa started steadily after being put into bat first but Shardul Thakur struck first to send Janneman Malan caught out at mid-wicket for 22.
Thakur struck again to send back skipper Temba Bavuma for eight as the batsman’s dry run of form continued after scores of 0, 0 and three in the Twenty20 series, which the tourists lost by 2-1.
The Proteas slipped further to 71-3 in the next over when Kuldeep Yadav bowled Aiden Markram out for nought with his left-arm wrist spin but Quinton de Kock stood firm.
The left-handed De Kock battled tough conditions due to moisture on the pitch at the start but slowed down in the middle overs and finally fell to debutant leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. He made 48.
India are fielding a second-string team after their Twenty20 side, led by Rohit Sharma, left for the World Cup in Australia which begins later this month.
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