Powerful half-centuries from Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller steered South Africa to 249-4 against India in a rain-reduced opening one-day intentional on Thursday.
Klaasen (74) and the left-handed Miller (75) put on an unbeaten stand of 139 runs after the tourists lost their top four in the 40-overs-a-side ODI in Lucknow at the start of the three-match series.
The pair rebuilt the innings at a venue that witnessed a lot of rain for two days before play started Thursday afternoon and took the attack to the opposition.
Miller, who amassed 125 runs including a century in the three-match Twenty20 series which South Africa lost 2-1, reached his 18th ODI fifty.
Klaasen followed his partner to a fifty in the same over and the two changed gears with some luck from the fielders as Mohammed Siraj dropped Klaasen on 64.
South Africa started steadily after being put into bat first but Shardul Thakur struck first to send Janneman Malan caught out at mid-wicket for 22.
Thakur struck again to send back skipper Temba Bavuma for eight as the batsman's dry run of form continued after scores of 0, 0 and three in the Twenty20 series, which the tourists lost by 2-1.
The Proteas slipped further to 71-3 in the next over when Kuldeep Yadav bowled Aiden Markram out for nought with his left-arm wrist spin but Quinton de Kock stood firm.
The left-handed De Kock battled tough conditions due to moisture on the pitch at the start but slowed down in the middle overs and finally fell to debutant leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. He made 48.
India are fielding a second-string team after their Twenty20 side, led by Rohit Sharma, left for the World Cup in Australia which begins later this month.