Virat Kohli celebrates his 52nd ODI hundred in Ranchi. (AP Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former South Africa pacer Dale Steyn delivered one of the most emphatic endorsements yet of Virat Kohli’s ODI relevance, calling the Indian superstar “mentally young, fresh, and hungry” after his match-winning century powered India to a 17-run victory over South Africa in the opening ODI in Ranchi.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!At a time when questions swirl around Kohli’s long-term role in India’s 50-over setup heading into the 2027 World Cup, Steyn’s assessment cut through the chatter: vintage Virat is nowhere near done.Kohli’s 52nd ODI hundred — a scintillating 135 off 120 balls featuring 11 fours and seven sixes — was a masterpiece built on control, tempo and unrelenting intensity. And for Steyn, the innings reaffirmed what sets the 37-year-old apart.

“He’s played over 300 ODIs in 15–16 years, so the experience is inside him. It’s in his body and mind,” Steyn said on JioStar. “Even if he arrived here after three days of rain, it wouldn’t have affected his preparation. He’s mentally strong, visualises well, and can see the ball onto the bat. That’s what the best in the world do. They back themselves because they’ve been out there so many times.”But it was Kohli’s mindset — his hunger despite retiring from two formats — that impressed Steyn the most.“A key thing he said is that he’s excited about playing,” Steyn noted. “When you speak to most 37 or 38-year-olds, they say they hate leaving home, their dog, their kids. But he’s in a place mentally where he’s eager to be out there playing for India. You can see it when he’s running between the wickets, fielding and diving. He’s mentally young, fresh, and wants to be here.”

The veteran batter’s enthusiasm was evident throughout an innings as he stitched vital partnerships with Rohit Sharma (57), KL Rahul (60) and Ravindra Jadeja (32), and lifted India to a formidable 349/8.South Africa threatened through Matthew Breetzke (72), Marco Jansen (70) and Corbin Bosch (67), but Harshit Rana’s early burst (3/65) and Kuldeep Yadav’s timely strikes ensured India held on.India now lead the three-match series 1-0.