Temba Bavuma applauds Miller and Klaasen as Proteas stun the Blues in the first ODI

Miller was involved in an exceptional partnership alongside Klaasen (PC: Twitter)

South Africa claimed a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series, after clinching a narrow nine-run victory over India. Ideally, the game should have been wrapped up earlier by the visitors, however, a valiant fightback from Sanju Samson gave the Proteas a bit of a scare.

Nevertheless, skipper Temba Bavuma was delighted with his team's effort as the visitors held their nerve towards the end to cling on to the victory. David Miller carried on his scintillating form from the T20I series, as his knock of 75 in the first ODI proved to be pivotal. Heinrich Klaasen also played a vital hand as he remained unbeaten on 74 runs.

"It was a tricky wicket to start. We did bat patiently in the initial overs. Markram got a ripper. In the end, Miller and Klaasen batted exceedingly well to take us to a good total," said Bavuma.

The pacers had a good day at the office, as they shared a total of 6 wickets amongst them in the first ODI. Temba Bavuma heaped praise on Wayne Parnell and Kagiso Rabada for maximizing the potential with the new ball. The two pacers got rid of Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill within the first six overs, which put the visitors in the driver's seat.

"KG and Parnell were brilliant upfront. It was a bit difficult to stop the flow of runs during the last few overs. But, yeah, happy with the effort," he added.

South Africa will look to seal the series on Sunday, as the two sides lock horns in the second ODI in Ranchi. The Protea tour concludes with the final ODI in Delhi, which will be played on October 11.

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