Ranchi (PTI): Senior batter Virat Kohli's awesome genius in 50-over format was on full view during his 52nd hundred that guided India to a strong 349 for eight against South Africa in the first ODI of the three-match series here on Sunday.

Kohli's 120 (135 balls, 11b, 7x6) and his 136-run stand with long-time associate Rohit Sharma (57, 51b) was the engine room of India's charge to a 300-plus total.

Kohli went past the three-figure mark with a boundary of SA left-arm pacer Marco Jansen, raising bedlam in the stadium, even forcing a spectator to invade the ground to touch the master's feat.

Kohli also went past the legendary Sachin Tendulkar as the batter with most hundreds in one format of the game. Tendulkar has 51 Test hundreds, and Kohli now has 52 ODI tons.

Rohit too had his own moment when he smashed a world record 352nd six in ODI cricket to go past former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi's mark of 351.

KL Rahul gave a late thrust to the innings with a 56-ball 60.

Brief scores: India: 349/8 in 50 overs (Virat Kohli 120, Rohit Sharma 57, KL Rahul 60; Ottneil Baartman 2/60, Nandre Burger 2/65).

 

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Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday asserted that money is not a priority for Gandhi-Nehru family, saying if the Congress workers pooled funds, they could raise atleast Rs 10,000 crores for the family.

Addressing a training programme organised at Vikarabad near here by AICC for District Congress Committee (DCC) presidents of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, he accused the BJP of "insulting" Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi by levelling allegations of corruption against them.

He also said the family had sacrificed three generations for the nation.

"Along with Congress, if there is any party which has a history of 100 years in the country, it is the CPI. All others came into existence as political parties on the basis of freedom we secured, the Constitution we gave and after we (Congress) strengthened the country. Now, they are becoming dangerous parties by giving the slogan of 'Congress-mukt Bharat."

Describing the Congress as the "soul of India", he said parties like BJP are trying to weaken its legacy.

Questioning the corruption charges against the Gandhi-Nehru family, the CM asked, "Is money a priority for the Gandhi family which sacrificed three generations for the sake of the country?"

According to him, Congress workers in Telangana alone could mobilise Rs 1,000 crores if they chose to do so.

He alleged a conspiracy to silence the Gandhi-Nehru family, claiming that it repesents the Dalits, STs and minorities.

Reddy urged Congress leaders and workers to counter such attempts.

Referring to the freedom movement, he said while the Britishers did not take extreme action against Mahatma Gandhi, those with the ideology that BJP inherited took the life of Father of the Nation soon after Independence.

Highlighting the contributions of Nehru family to the country, he said, "Motilal Nehru donated assets worth thousands of crores to the country and Jawaharlal Nehru spent 10 years in jail" during freedom struggle, while former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives.

Though Rahul Gandhi inherited such a great legacy, he undertook a 'padayatra' across the nation, Reddy said.

He also said party workers who remained loyal when the Congress was in the opposition have been rewarded with nominated posts and MLA tickets after it came to power.

"You may feel that nobody is observing you. You may feel you will get (ticket to contest) in some quota if you take the support of a leader just before elections. But, there are no quotas now. Only merit quota is there in Congress," he said.

Reddy also urged the DCC presidents to treat their positions with utmost respect, avoid lobbying for various things and focus on people's welfare.