Best of India: Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan's sensational partnership at Champions Trophy

After a series of disappointing campaigns in 2004, 2006 and 2009, India headed into the 2013 Champions Trophy in England with a newfound sense of hope following their 3-2 victory over England. The series was significant for the promotion of Rohit Sharma as a permanent white-ball opener, adding to the team's optimism for the upcoming tournament.

The experiment to open with the Mumbaikar on the 2010-11 tour of South Africa was jettisoned after three abortive outings, leading to Rohit’s exclusion from the 2011 World Cup-winning squad. On his comeback after the World Cup, Rohit blew hot and cold in the middle order until he was pushed back up to open against England in Mohali in January 2013, to which he responded with a match-winning 83.

At the Champions Trophy, Rohit had another relatively new international opener for company. Shikhar Dhawan had been dumped in June 2011 after just five tries – among them 51 in his second game against West Indies in Port of Spain – but in one of those left-field decisions that pay off beyond one’s wildest imagination, he was united with Rohit at the top of the batting tree for the first time at the Champions Trophy.

This was, as it turned out, a match made in heaven. The right-handed Rohit and the left-handed Dhawan thrived in each other’s company, a complementary pair that destroyed bowling attacks. They lie fourth in the list of opening pairs with most ODI runs together, 5,148 from 115 innings with 18 hundred-plus stands (only the leading duo, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, has more century alliances with 21) at an average of 45.55.

A match made in heaven

It was at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff that the two first opened in ODIs, and what a start that was.

India knew they needed to make a strong statement in the tournament-opener against a formidable South African side captained by AB de Villers. Put in with the Proteas seeking to take advantage of a fresh surface, the first-time pair started cautiously but once the two batters found their bearings, runs flowed freely from both ends. Both dealt in boundaries, leaving de Villiers with a massive headache as his four-pronged pace attack of Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt and Ryan McLaren struggled for control.

Rohit was dismissed for a classy 65, the first wicket producing 127 at a run a ball, but there was no stopping Dhawan from keeping his tryst with a maiden ODI century. The left-hander from Delhi reached his first 50 off 44 deliveries, then took only 36 more to reach three-figures before falling for a breathtaking 114 off just 94 balls (12x4, 1x6). Cameos from Virat Kohli and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni were the inspiration for Ravindra Jadeja to smash an unbeaten 47 off a mere 29 deliveries, the grandstand finish propelling India to 331 for seven.

South Africa had the batting to make a match of it on a very good surface, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav struck once each in their first spells to reduce them to 31 for two. Alive to the need to keep pace with a steep required rate, they promoted Robin Peterson, primarily a left-arm spinner, as pinch-hitter at No. 3, and he did his job to perfection in the company of his captain, one of the most inventive and dangerous batters of his generation.

Peterson and de Villiers gave India several anxious moments during their stand of 124, which came at a furious clip. Apart from unfurling the boundaries, they ran superbly between the wickets to put pressure on the Indian fielders, who rose to the occasion splendidly. A host of young legs acquitted themselves with credit, with the brilliance of Jadeja the standout as always. As Peterson whipped Ravichandran Ashwin to mid-wicket and set off for a single, Jadeja flung himself full length to his left, picked up the ball cleanly and fired the throw in for Dhoni to whip off the bails, providing the breakthrough that energised the team.

Peterson’s aggression during his 68 notwithstanding, South Africa still needed to score at more than seven an over for more than half their innings and India seemed to have sewn things up when they worked their way through the middle order, including de Villiers for 70. McLaren at No. 8 wasn’t going down without a fight, however. Having taken guard at 188 for six, he rocked India with a spectacular unbeaten 71 off 61 balls, but without any support worth the name, he was always fighting a losing battle.

South Africa were bowled out for 305 off the last ball of the 50th over, giving India victory by 26 runs. It would be the start of an unbeaten run that would culminate with Dhoni holding the trophy aloft a fortnight later.

Brief scores: India: 331/7 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 65, Shikhar Dhawan 114, Virat Kohli 31, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 27, Ravindra Jadeja 47 n.o.; Lonwabo Tsotsobe 2-83, Ryan McLaren 3-70) beat South Africa: 305 all out in 50 overs (Robin Peterson 68, AB de Villiers 70, Ryan McLaren 71 n.o.; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2-49, Umesh Yadav 2-75, Ishant Sharma 2-66, Ravindra Jadeja 2-31) by 26 runs. PoM: Shikhar Dhawan.

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