World Cup 2019: 3 Key Factors behind India's opening win over South Africa 

#2 Attacking Captaincy from Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli led the side brilliantly in his first match as skipper in the World Cup

Virat Kohli, captaining India for the first time in the World Cup, was up to the task in his first game. Though Kohli is known for always playing the game with utmost passion, his zeal and enthusiasm was on a completely different level today and was contagious to find its way into the veins of his teammates.

Virat set up an attacking field with three slips for the majority of the first powerplay. Noticing the struggle of de Kock against Bumrah, Kohli himself came into the third slip from cover, a ploy which paid dividends in the very same over, as the Protea keeper edged the ball into Kohli's hands. After the powerplay, Virat attacked the Proteas with alternate overs of pace and spin, handing the ball to Pandya and Kuldeep, respectively, in succession.

Soon after, Kohli brought Chahal into the attack, as the famed spin duo of "KulCha" ran through the middle order, sharing 5 wickets among themselves. With South Africa pushed onto the backfoot, the Indian captain brought back his strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, in the pursuit of more wickets and to finish off their innings before 50 overs.

Kohli, who is quite often criticised for his implausible tactics as a captain, was on a completely different level altogether in India's first game of the tournament. He managed his resources quite efficiently and took wise decisions, which were integral in restricting the South Africans to a below-par total.