Team India players praised Virat Kohli after his century helped India secure a 17-run win over South Africa in the first ODI in Ranchi. Kohli scored 135 off 120 balls, his 52nd ODI hundred, giving India a strong start to the series. Several teammates described what it meant to watch another major innings from the former captain.Tilak Varma said it felt special to see Kohli reach a hundred from close range.“We have seen one of the best knocks again. I am very happy that I have seen 100 of Virat bhai live,” Tilak said in a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).“He has always been electrifying in the field, the batting, fielding, everything. He is absolutely top. I have learnt a lot, and it’s a pleasure to watch him live. I will keep talking to him and learn as much as I can. If I get an opportunity in the coming games, I can implement it in those games as well,” he said.Kuldeep Yadav, who began his career when Kohli was captain, said the innings reminded him of Kohli’s strong years.“My career started with Virat bhai when he was the captain. The way he batted, I felt I had gone back 8-9 years, the way he was batting in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2016,” Kuldeep said.“It was a very good innings, and he looked very confident. Whatever his shot selection was, the ball was coming nicely off the bat. It feels good to be with him. You get to learn a lot. Even in bowling, you get inputs as to what you can do. It feels good to be with the seniors. There is energy and intensity in the team. As you have seen in the field, we are very lucky with it,” he said.Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said India wanted a strong first-innings total on a pitch expected to become easier later.“Nice to get back to winning ways. It was very pleasing as the guys identified that we needed a premium score on that wicket,” he said.“We knew the dew was going to come in, and the way the batters went about it and obviously Virat, a big 100 in a row. Getting us out of the blocks, finishing off to get us a score that was above what you normally need in a wicket like this was good,” he said.Batting coach Sitanshu Kotak said discussions about Kohli’s ODI future were unnecessary.“I really don’t know why actually we need to look at all this,” Kotak said after India’s 17-run win.“He’s batting so well. Why do we need to talk about his future? The way he’s performing, the way his fitness is — there are no questions about anything,” Kotak said.In the match, South Africa sent India in to bat. Yashasvi Jaiswal made 18 before getting out. Rohit Sharma (57 off 51) and Kohli added 136 for the second wicket. India lost Rohit, Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) and Washington Sundar (13) quickly, reaching 200/4, but further stands kept the innings going. KL Rahul made 60, sharing a 76-run stand with Kohli and later adding 65 with Ravindra Jadeja (32 off 20). India finished with 349/8.In the chase, South Africa slipped to 11/3 after early wickets by Indian fast bowlers. Tony de Zorzi (39 off 37) and Matthew Breetzke added 66, and Dewald Brevis scored 37 off 28, but South Africa were still five down at 130. Breetzke (72 off 80) and Marco Jansen (80 off 39) then put on 97 and kept the contest alive before Kuldeep dismissed both. South Africa were 227/8 and later pushed again through Corbin Bosch, who made 67 off 51, but fell short by 17 runs. Harshit Rana finished with 3/65.India now lead the three-match ODI series 1-0.