India vs South Africa: Shikhar Dhawan Joins Elite List After Century in Landmark ODI

New Delhi: The Indian team has been outstanding in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa, with each and every player contributing to the team's success. During the 4th ODI at Johannesburg, there was another reason to celebrate for the Indians, as opener Shikhar Dhawan achieved the milestone of scoring a hundred in his 100th ODI.

He scored a brisk 109 runs from just 105 balls that included 10 fours and two sixes. In an attempt to score some quick runs, Dhawan fell to Morne Morkel.

With this milestone, Dhawan has become the first Indian to achieve the feat, and ninth overall in history of ODI cricket. Some of the other players to have achieved this rare landmark are Chris Gayle, David Warner and Kumar Sangakkara.

This was Dhawan's 13th ODI ton as he also became the first Indian opener since Sachin Tendulkar in 2001, to score a century against South Africa in their home. Till now in the series, Dhawan has been among the runs as he had scored two fifty's previously, at Centurion and Cape Town.

In the third ODI in Cape Town, where Virat Kohli had scored 160 runs, Dhawan (76) had played his part and strung a crucial 140-run partnership with the Indian skipper. That partnership was instrumental in taking India to 303/6. Eventually India won the match by 124 runs, and took a 3-0 unassailable lead in the series.

After the match Kohli had credited Dhawan and said, "When Shikhar Dhawan is batting, my job is to take singles and keep rotating the strike, to be able to get the partnership going. When he gets out I start to accelerate," the skipper said.

Before this match, Dhawan in 99 outings for the Indian team had scored 4,200 runs, at an average of 45.65.

First Published: February 11, 2018, 9:30 AM IST

India vs South Africa: Shikhar Dhawan Joins Elite List After Century in Landmark ODI