Watch: Venkatesh Iyer's rocket throw gets Aiden Markram short of crease

The first ODI between India and South Africa is being played at Paarl. After winning the toss and electing to bat, the hosts found it difficult to get the boundaries at the start of the innings.

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One of the major reasons for that was the sluggish wickets. The pitch seemed to be on the slower side. India's disciplined bowling didn't help their cause either. Moreover, after the dismissal of the keeper-batter Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram was quick to follow.

The dashing batter had to walk back to the pavilion relatively early due to a superb throw by Venkatesh Iyer. It is to be noted that the Indian all-rounder is making his ODI debut. This occurred during the 18th over of the first innings.

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— Bleh (@rishabh2209420) January 19, 2022

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After a poor performance against the Asian side in the recently concluded three-match Test series, it looked as if Markram was short on confidence over here as well. While trying to get off the strike on the bowling of Ravichandran Ashwin, he pushed the ball towards mid-off and called for a quick single.

This is when the debutant Iyer showed superb reflexes to get to the ball quickly, and produced a fantastic direct hit. The Proteas batter was a few inches short of the crease and thus, had to make the long walk back to the pavilion.

Thus, the all-rounder has already shown a glimpse of his skills. Besides, there was a lot of hype around Iyer and him playing in the side as a genuine all-rounder. Post Markram's wicket, Temba Bavuma joined Rassie van der Dussen in the middle. The duo not only stablised the Indian inning but helped South Africa post a daunting 296-4. Bavuma scored a brilliant 110, while Van der Dussen made 129. In reply, India are 90-1 at the time of writing.