Cricket

India tour of South Africa 2021-22

India batting coach Vikram Rathour on Tuesday (January 11) said that he was impressed with Test skipper Virat Kohli's discipline on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town.&nbsp;Kohli played a patient and well-crafted 79 but South Africa gained the upper hand by bowling out the visitors for a below par score of 223 on Day 1 of the series-decider.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;“There was never concern with the way he (Kohli) was batting, I mean he was always batting well, I thought as a batting coach, I was never concerned that he is not batting well, he was looking very good in the nets, he was looking very good in the game also, he was getting starts,” Rathour said in the virtual press conference after the day's play.&nbsp;&nbsp;“One good change today, he was more disciplined, I agree with that, so he really looked good, really good solid and with a bit of (more) luck, he could have converted into a big one, but I am happy (with) the way he played,” elaborated Rathour.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the overall batting performance, Rathour did not sound too pleased as he said, “These are challenging conditions, not easy conditions to score runs in, but you are right, we are below par. We could have scored 50/60 more runs, that’s what we were at-least expecting,”.&nbsp;“Virat played a phenomenal innings... Pujara was looking really good, but then they bowled a good spell in the morning, the conditions were overcast and they were challenging (for batting), but again I thought there were some soft dismissals in the later part of the innings, we could have done better definitely,” he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;According to the batting coach, there were soft dismissals in the latter part of the innings and the batters could have done a better job.&nbsp;South Africa are 17/1 at stumps. Indian pacers are expected to pick early wickets on Day 2 to restrict the Proteas. India eye an historic series win as the series is levelled 1-1. India have never won a Test series in South Africa.

india-tour-of-south-africa-17-dec-2021

He was more disciplined: Batting coach Rathour happy with one change Kohli made in 79-run knock

India's star speedster Jasprit Bumrah walked down the memory lane and shared a nostalgic note on his Instagram handle ahead of the decider Test match against South Africa in Cape Town.&nbsp;The 28-year-old recalled his Test debut which happened to be at Newlands and four years down the line life has come full circle for the Indian quick who again found himself at the same venue. This time, with a different set of challenges and a different mission. A mission to win the first Test series for India in the Rainbow Nation.&nbsp;“Cape Town, January 2018 – is where it all began for me in Test cricket. Four years on, I’ve grown as a player and a person and to return to this ground brings back special memories,” Bumrah tweeted after the team’s first training session at the venue.&nbsp;The 28-year-old Bumrah made his Test debut here in 2018 and took four wickets in the match, including that of AB de Villiers. The Indian team lost that match but Bumrah took a five-wicket haul in the Johannesburg Test to help the visitors to a fine win.&nbsp;With a mindset to end the series 2-1, India will slug it out with the hosts in the series-deciding third Test from January 11- January 15, and Bumrah will be expected to play an instrumental role with the ball.&nbsp;Bumrah has grown into the team’s leading pacer, picking up more than 100 wickets in overseas conditions. Overall, Bumrah has taken 107 wickets in just 26 matches and played a role in India’s major wins in England and Australia. Interestingly, Bumrah has only played two Test matches at home so far.&nbsp;India's regular captain Virat Kohli is also expected to return for the third Test as he missed the second Test due to back spasm. However, he was seen practicing in the nets in the close observation of India's head coach Rahul Dravid, which is a good sign for India.

'Cape Town brings back special memories', says Bumrah ahead of 3rd Test

India’s Deepak Chahar did score 54 runs off 34 balls against South Africa in the third and final ODI of the series on January 23, in Cape Town and his batting skills were praised by many experts and former cricketers after the match. But former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar is not happy with Chahar’s shot selection.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the 48th over of the innings, South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi bowled a slower ball and Chahar wanted to play a big drive shot but his shot was not timed properly and was eventually caught by the fielder. The Proteas, ultimately managed to win the match by 4 runs.&nbsp;Gavaskar feels that there was no need to “play the big shot.”&nbsp;Gavaskar's words“The way the last 10 overs were turning out, it seemed as if South Africa would find it tough to win. But the way they kept their composure. The pressure was on them after Lungi Ngidi conceded a few runs. But after that, some of the shots we saw, maybe you could say- ‘what was the hurry?’&nbsp;“Deepak Chahar played such a wonderful inning, had almost pulled the match. We needed just 10 runs and some 18 balls were left. You could have taken singles and won the game. At that time, what was the need to play the big shot?, said Gavaskar while talking to Sports Tak.&nbsp;A wrong mindsetThe 72-year-old former cricketer said that he is not “faulting him” but he is “questioning” the mindset of winning a match by hitting fours and sixes only.&nbsp;“I am not faulting him. I am just saying that today the thinking is such that if you have to achieve a win, you do it only through fours and sixes. Not through singles. And because of this, the match which was in India’s hands slipped out of it. I am not criticising.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I am just questioning this thinking that has crept into the minds of people. If you win by taking singles, people won’t say a thing. But if you hit fours, they’ll say ‘look, he hit a boundary to win the match. Look, he hit a six to win the match.’ The urge to hear these cheers is why no one wants to take singles and win the match”, he added.&nbsp;

'What was the need to play the big shot?'- Sunil Gavaskar questions Deepak Chahar's shot selection in the 3rd ODI against SA

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that he didn't follow a single ball in the recently-concluded three-match ODI series between South Africa and India. The former World Cup winner also stated that the current situation is only a matter of time before the team can get back to normal routine and starts winning games. Shastri is currently in Oman where he is overseeing the role of the commissioner in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC).&nbsp;Shastri's words "As I said, I've not followed a single ball in the series. But I don't think there will be too much change in Virat Kohli,” Shastri stated on Indian cricket’s recent developments regarding Virat Kohli. "If you lose one series, you people start criticising... You can't win every game, there will be wins and losses. "How can the standard go down suddenly? For five years, you have been number one side in the world," the former India head coach said.&nbsp;&nbsp;When questioned about the standard of the team, he felt that the team is in the bad patch but has a proven track record in the last five years. "When you have a win ratio of 65 per cent over the last five years, what is there to worry about? What is there to worry about, our rival teams should worry," he explained.&nbsp;Shastri on Kohli Shastri further added on Kohli, who relinquished his Test captaincy after India were beaten 1-2 by the hosts South Africa in the Test series. According to him, Kohli will now be able to focus on batting and change in captaincy will not affect his performance. He was also assured that Kohli will not change his attitude despite recent developments in Indian cricket. "It's his choice. You have to respect his decision. There is a time for everything. A lot of big players in the past have left captaincy when they felt they wanted to focus on their batting or on their cricket. "Whether it's (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Sunil) Gavaskar or (MS) Dhoni. And, it's Virat Kohli now,” the 59-year-old said. Shastri also said that he is looking forward to the future and not focusing on things that happened in the past. "I took a break after seven years in the game, been part of the team, One thing is very clear, I do not wash dirty linen in public. &nbsp;"I was very clear, the day I finished, I will be blank. I don't want to discuss any of my players on a public platform.”

'I've not followed a single ball in the series': Ravi Shastri reflects after India's ODI whitewash in South Africa

The Indian team had a terrible ODI series against South Africa after the KL Rahul-led side faced a whitewash in the three-match ODI series. In the Test series also, Indian team could not produce a memorable show after the visitors conceded a 2-1 defeat in the three-match Test series.&nbsp;&nbsp;Off-field mattersAnd to make the matters worse, Virat Kohli announced his decision to relinquish the Test captaincy, just a day after India's Test series defeat against the Proteas. The recent tussle between Kohli and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has severely jolted the Indian cricket.&nbsp;&nbsp;While talking about the current scenario in Indian cricket, former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said that he sees “a rift” in the Indian team. He also believes that Kohli did not want to leave captaincy. According to Akhtar, a “situation was created” and because of it he had to leave the captaincy.&nbsp;“I see a rift in this team. Important to see how the team will be handled. I don’t think Kohli quit because he wanted to, such a situation was created that he had to leave captaincy. There are a lot of reasons behind Kohli’s decision to leave Test captaincy, that I cannot say because of confidentiality,” Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.&nbsp;Shocking defeatIndian team’s defeat against South Africa in the Test and ODI series surprised many former cricketers and experts. The manner in which Indian team were defeated in the ODI series just appeared to be simply baffling to fans and followers.&nbsp;Akhtar feels that Indian team’s recent performances have left the team “humiliating” and he does not think that “the Indian team should be losing” to this South African team in such a “demoralising manner.”&nbsp;“The recent performances have left India humiliating. I don’t think the Indian team should be losing to such a South Africa team, that too in a demoralising manner.&nbsp;“Moving ahead from this point, the BCCI, Management, captain and the rest of the players will have to regroup. The issues of unrest will have to be put to an end by the management. I didn’t see a combined effort by the team in South Africa,” the 46-year-old former pacer explained.&nbsp;

'I see a rift in this team,' Shoaib Akhtar analyses Indian team's performance against South Africa

India's new limited-overs skipper Rohit Sharma is fully fit and available for the upcoming home series against West Indies, a source told Sports Tak.&nbsp; Rohit has been working on his fitness after an injury ruled him out of the South Africa tour just after he was selected as Virat Kohli's successor as ODI captain.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Indian opener has completed his rehabilitation in National Cricket Academy. His final test will be in the next couple of days after which he will be able to join the Indian camp ahead of the limited-overs clashes against the Caribbean team.&nbsp;This will be the first time Rohit will be leading the Indian ODI side as permanent captain. In his absence against the Proteas, stand-in skipper KL Rahul led the team in the three ODI series against Temba Bavuma's men which the visitors lost.&nbsp; &nbsp;The three-ODI series against West Indies is scheduled to start on February 6 at Narendra Modi stadium, Ahmedabad. Rohit will be playing an ODI after a long gap of over 10 months. The last ODI he played was on March 28, 2021, against England in Pune.&nbsp;After the whitewash in South Africa, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce the squad for the ODI and T20I series against West Indies. It is yet to be seen if Ravindra Jadeja makes a comeback after recovering from injury. Also, whether fast-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya is available for selection or not. &nbsp;Head coach Rahul Dravid had said after the series loss in the rainbow nation that the team missed its no.7, no.8 specialists.&nbsp;&nbsp;Meanwhile, Rohit has also been considered as the frontrunner for taking over as Test captain after Virat Kohli stepped down from the post following a 1-2 series defeat to Dean Elgar's side. With Rohit returning to the ODI side, he will open alongside Shikhar Dhawan which means that Rahul will have to bat in the middle order again.&nbsp;

Rohit Sharma to give fitness test in a couple of days at NCA, available for selection against West Indies

After India clinched a historic victory in Centurion in the first Test, Proteas bounced back in some style as they registered their first-ever win over India in Johannesburg on Thursday (January 6).&nbsp; Chasing a total of 240, the South Africa showed incredible grit and courage to hunt down the target with seven wickets in hand, on the back of a brilliant captain’s knock from Dean Elgar (96 not out off 188). Team India must have missed it's regular Test captain Virat Kohli's presence as he has never lost a Test match whenever India set a 150+ target.&nbsp;King Kohli's unbeatable feat Virat Kohli as a Test captain when India set 150+ target:27 - Matches 25 - Won 2 - Draw 0 - Lost&nbsp;But KL Rahul, the stand-in skipper for the second Test match against South Africa, remained hapless by conceding in his very first Test match as a skipper.&nbsp;However, Rahul became the 34th captain to lead India in the longest version of the game. Rahul is also the 4th India Test captain from Karnataka after Gundappa Viswanath, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. He created history and joined the likes of Mohammad Azharuddin, Sunil Gavaskar, Bishan Singh Bedi, Ajit Wadekar in a unique list of Indian cricketers to have captained the Test team before leading India in limited-overs cricket. Rahul is the first player to do the same since Azharuddin in 1990. Nonetheless, the 29-year old failed to spur India past South Africa so as to make it more memorable which would have helped him earn more records to his name.&nbsp;Kohli's impeccable record as a Test Captain&nbsp;On the other hand, King Kohli, has been a brilliant ambassador for Test cricket globally in the way he has led transformation in the Indian Test team. India also reached the final of the inaugural World Test Championship in 2021.&nbsp;Under Kohli's captaincy, India won its maiden Test series in Australia in 2018-19 after 71 years since 1948. It was under Kohli's leadership that India was crowned as the No.1 Test team in the ICC Rankings for a continuous period of 42 months from October 2016 till early March 2020.&nbsp;Let's have a look at some of Kohli's record as a Test captain:&nbsp;67 – Kohli holds the record for most Test matches as captain for India. Virat Kohli played his 61st Test match as Captain in the World Test Championship Final against New Zealand. He surpassed MS Dhoni's tally of 60 Tests as India Captain.40– With 40 wins in Test matches, Kohli is the most successful Indian Test captain. He has leapfrogged some of India's most successful captains in Test cricket with utmost ease. He's followed by MS Dhoni with 27 wins as captain.24 – Virat Kohli now has the most Test wins at home for India. India's victory in the Mumbai Test against New Zealand was Kohli's 24th Test win at home. Kohli went past MS Dhoni's tally of 21 Test wins at home as India skipper.20 – Kohli has scored most Test centuries for India as captain. With 20 centuries since being an Indian Test skipper, Kohli is only behind Graeme Smith (25) with most Test hundreds as captain. In the last couple of years, Virat has failed to add to his tally of Test centuries. His last Test ton came against Bangladesh in India's first-ever Pink-Ball Test in 2019.7 – Kohli has scored seven double centuries in his Test career. Coincidentally, all of his Test double tons have come during his tenure as captain. This also puts him first on the list of most double centuries for any Test captain.1 – Kohli also holds the record for scoring most Test runs for India as captain. In 67 Tests so far, Virat has scored 5756 runs at an average of 54.82 including a highest score of 254 not out against South Africa.

This stat proves how Rahul failed to carry the legacy of Kohli on captaincy debut

Dean Elgar, captain of the South African cricket team, saw his team home with a match-winning knock of 96 not out as South Africa downed India by seven wickets in the second test on Thursday (January 6) to level the series 1-1 and force a decider in Cape Town.&nbsp;Opener Elgar batted all the way through as Proteas overhauled the target of 240 late on the rain-curtailed Day 4 at the Wanderers.The game appeared finely balanced with both teams sensing a chance of winning ahead of South Africa’s final innings. But South Africa made the light work of India as they finished with 243/3.&nbsp;Temba Bavuma was 23 not out and he and Elgar took South Africa surging to victory with a flurry of boundaries at the end. Elgar sealed it by hammering one through midwicket and to the boundary. The match saw a host of records being made by the South African unit.Elgar walloped an unbeaten knock of 96 off 188 balls, which is the third highest score by a captain in fourth innings in won matches against India.&nbsp;Highest score by Captain in Won matches against India (4th Inng):109* - Viv Richards (1987) 102* - Mark Taylor (1998) &nbsp;96* - Dean Elgar (January 6, 2022)&nbsp;240 Target chased down by South Africa in Johannesburg, the third-highest successful fourth-innings chase against India. Australia chased a 339-run target in Perth in 1977, while West Indies were successful in their pursuit of 276 in Delhi in 1987.&nbsp;Highest successful Test run chases against India: 342-8 by Australia at Perth, 1977 276-5 by West Indies at Delhi, 1987 243-3 by South Africa at Johannesburg, 2022 96* Dean Elgar's score in the Johannesburg chase. Only one South Africa captain had higher scores in successful Test chases - Graeme Smith - with four hundreds. The unbeaten 96 by Elgar was also the highest Test score by a South Africa captain since Faf du Plessis' 103 against Pakistan in 2019. It was the five consecutive Test defeats for South Africa against India before the seven-wicket win at Wanderers. India's streak of five successive wins started in Johannesburg in 2018 and ended at the very ground four years later. South Africa had not lost more than two Tests in succession to India before this streak.&nbsp;It was the first time South Africa had beaten India at the Wanderers. India, who have never lost a Test defending 200 or more runs under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, had to suffer a painful defeat.&nbsp;Elgar’s score of 96 is the second-best individual score by a South African captain versus India. Kepler Wessels holds the record with a best of 118 (Durban 1992/93).

South Africa set records aplenty in 2nd Test triumph against India

It has not been an ideal time for India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. Till now, the flamboyant batter has not been able to do much in the ongoing three-match Test series against South Africa. In the first two Tests, Pant managed to score just 8, 34, 17 respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the second innings of the second Test a lot was expected from him when he came down to bat. In order to set a big target for the South Africa team, Hanuma Vihari needed someone at the other end who could stay there out for a long time and score for the team but the 24-year-old wicketkeeper simply had some other plans.&nbsp;While facing just third delivery of his innings, he decided come down the pitch and hit a shot over the extra cover region but he made complete a mess of it eventually as his mistimed shot provided an edge that went straight to Kyle Verreynne. Pant went back to the pavilion scoring a duck. Eventually the visitors went down to lose the Test match by 7 wickets.&nbsp;Poor shot selectionSince then, the Roorkee-born wicketkeeper had to face a lot of criticism for his poor shot selection and wrong mindset and now India team head coach Rahul Dravid has dropped a hint that he will have a conversation with Pant regarding all these issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dravid said that the team management will have a level of conversations with him.&nbsp;“We know Rishabh is a positive player and he plays in a particular manner which has gotten him success. But yeah, of course, there are times, we will have a level of conversations with him around, it is just about the timing of that shot you know. No one is going to tell Rishabh not to be a positive or aggressive player. Sometimes it is about choosing the timing to do that,” Dravid said while talking to the media at the virtual post-match conference.&nbsp;&nbsp;Give more timeDravid, who has played 164 Test matches for the Indian team feels that Pant is someone who can change the course of the game, so he cannot be asked to become something very different.&nbsp;“When you have just come in, giving yourself some more time would be more advisable. We know what we are getting with Rishabh, he is a very positive player, he is someone who can change the course of the game for us, so we won’t take that away from him and ask him to become something very different. It is about figuring out when is the right time to attack. He is learning, he plays in a particular way but he will keep learning,” Dravid explained.&nbsp;

Dravid planning to have conversations with Pant over the timing of his shots

India batsman Hanuma Vihari was not a part of the first Test that India won by 113 runs but in the second Test Vihari did earn a spot but unfortunately the results were not pretty favourable as the visitors had to suffer a defeat by 7 wickets. The 28-year-old batsman scored 20 in the first innings and 40 in the second innings.&nbsp;&nbsp;The third Test match, scheduled to be started on January 11, is bound to see a change in the team as skipper Virat Kohli is set to make a comeback in the squad. At a situation like this former India batsman Gautam Gambhir feels that it would be “very unfortunate” if Vihari does not find his place in the third Test which will be played in Cape Town. According to the former opening batsman, Vihari might have scored a half-century if he had come down to bat at number four.&nbsp;&nbsp;‘Very unfortunate if he does not play’“It will be very unfortunate if he doesn’t play the next Test because if Rahane has scored a fifty, then Hanuma Vihari has also scored 40 not out. If Hanuma Vihari had batted at that number instead of Rahane, probably he would have also scored a fifty,” Gambhir said during a television interaction.&nbsp;“The control with which Vihari has batted in both the innings, you want to give such a batter a long rope. It should not be that you play him a match, then leave him out and play him the next Test after six months or a year,” he added.&nbsp;No place for Rahane?The former World Cup-winning batsman also thinks that when Test team skipper Kohli comes back to the squad in the final Test match of the series he should bat at number four instead of Ajinkya Rahane.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rahane did score a half-century in the second innings of the second Test but apart from that particular knock the 33-year-old batsman did not have a pretty memorable series so far. Till now, Rahane has managed to score 48, 20, 0 and 58 in four innings respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We have seen for a long time what performance Rahane has given. I believe when Virat Kohli comes in the next Test match, he bats at number 4 in place of Rahane and Vihari bats at number five.&nbsp;“It’s the right move and right direction going forward as well because if the team management has backed Rahane so much, the time has come to back Hanuma Vihari as much because he has looked very solid in both innings,” Gambhir explained.&nbsp;

Gautam Gambhir feels this Indian batsman should be dropped for 3rd Test in South Africa

India Test team skipper Virat Kohli could not feature in the second Test against South Africa due to a lower back spasm and KL Rahul led the visitors in Kohli’s absence. But eventually, Kohli’s injury did not go down well as India lost the second Test match by seven wickets and conceded the 1-0 lead they had secured in the three-match Test series after winning the first Test by 113 runs.&nbsp;The team India head coach Rahul Dravid feels that the talismanic batter should be fine to play in the final Test match.&nbsp;‘Kohli should be fine…’"Virat Kohli should be fine from all accounts, he should be fine. He has had the opportunity to run around a little bit, he has had the opportunity to test it a little bit. Hopefully with a couple of net sessions in Cape Town, he should be good to go. Everything I am hearing and just having a chat with him, he should be good to go in four days time," said Dravid in a virtual post-match press conference.&nbsp;In the first innings Indian team scored a total of 202 runs and in the second innings they scored 266 and head coach Dravid feels that his side would like to bat a little better.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Certainly, we would like to bat a little better. Maybe the guys who got starts could have converted them into 100s. That was the difference in the first game, we had Rahul scoring century for us and we ended up on the winning side. Dean Elgar scored 96 in this Test and South Africa ended up on the winning side," Dravid explained.&nbsp;&nbsp;KL Rahul's take on KohliIn the post-match conference, KL Rahul was asked about Kohli’s availability for the final Test and Rahul said that the Delhi-born batsman is feeling better and he is doing fine.&nbsp;"Virat is already feeling better, he's been doing a bit of fielding and think he'll be fine," Rahul said.&nbsp;''He has already been hitting the nets and should be fit in time for the third Test," he added.&nbsp;Team India would be eager to exhibit their best performance in the final Test that is scheduled to start in Cape Town on January 11 in order to secure a Test series victory.&nbsp;

Rahul Dravid gives major update on Kohli's availability for final Test in South Africa

Former Indian team batsman Wasim Jaffer’s witty posts and cheeky comments on social media are known to all. From posting funny captions to sharing hilarious photos, these seem to be a pretty easy task for the former India opener. So when on Thursday (January 6) Jaffer came up with a befitting and humorous reply to Australia broadcaster channel 7’s dig at Virat Kohli’s poor run of form, people were not much surprised. But Jaffer’s suitable reply did not fail to attract attention from cricket fans all over the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;Comparison of stats&nbsp;7 Cricket’s official Twitter handle posted a tweet which pointed out that, since 2019, Indian Test team skipper Kohli’s batting average in the longest format of the gave has been 37.17 and Australia pacer Mitchell Starc records an average of 38.63 in Test cricket during the same period. The official Twitter handle posted these figures with a collage of Kohli and Starc and wrote in the caption, “Your stat of the day… “&nbsp;Jaffer did not wait too long to reply. "ODI Career batting average: Navdeep Saini: 53.50, Steve Smith: 43.34," read Jaffer’s promptly-posted tweet.&nbsp;&nbsp;And truly, Saini does possess a better batting average than the former Australia skipper.&nbsp;&nbsp;Saini's figuresSaini has batted in five ODI innings and scored a total of 107 runs. His highest score of 45 came against New Zealand on February 8, 2020 when the two countries faced each other in Auckland.&nbsp;&nbsp;On the otehr hand, Indian Test team skipper Kohli has been suffering for some time to get back his prolific form. The Delhi-born batsman’s last century in Test cricket came against Bangladesh, back in 2019 when India took on Bangladesh in the famous pink-ball Test in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the ongoing Test series against South Africa also, Kohli was not in his desired form. In the first innings of the first Test he scored 35 runs and in the second innings he just managed to bag 18 runs. In the second Test, Kohli could not be a part of the first XI due to fitness trouble. And now the talismanic batsman is set to return to the team as a skipper in the third and final Test match of the series.&nbsp;

Former India opener trolls Australian media on Twitter

Veteran Indian wicketkeeper batter Dinesh Karthik has insisted that India were at a loss after losing the services of Mohammed Siraj in the second Test match in Johannesburg. The Indian team was beaten comprehensively by the hosts South Africa to reignite their interest in the series as the affairs are at 1-1 going into the Cape Town Test. Karthik vowed that Siraj was the major piece missing from the puzzle as the Indian team failed to impress. “India, being the number one Test cricketing nation in the world, they would be little disappointed. They probably didn’t bowl at their best. And the main reason why India struggled through this test match was obviously the absence of Siraj,” the Tamil Nadu captain said. Speaking on his hamstring injury he added, “The hamstring injury not only put him in the backfoot but it put India’s bowling unit on the backfoot. Because he has the ability to seam the ball well in and out. And that would’ve been a massive difference,” Karthik was quoted as saying. The 27-year-old Siraj had sustained a hamstring injury on the first day of the second Test match and was able to bowl only 9.5 overs before departing. It wasn't a different story either in the second innings as he managed to bowl only six overs and went wicketless in the entire match. In his absence, India had to depend on the bowling services of Shardul Thakur, who managed to pick up seven wickets in the first innings but couldn't repeat his heroics in the second innings. Team India are already without ODI captain Rohit Sharma for the Test series while Virat Kohli also pulled out of the second Test with back spasm. Siraj has now become the latest player to be marred by injury as the team management struggles to put up match fit playing XI for the final Test in Cape Town. The series is tied at the moment at 1-1, while India still dream to win their first Test series in the Rainbow Nation. The third and final Test match will begin on Saturday (January 11) at Newlands in Cape Town.

‘Siraj’s injury put bowling unit on backfoot’: Karthik on India’s struggles in Johannesburg Test

Indian wicket keeper Rishabh Pant’s form hasn’t been great of late as he scored only 59 runs in the first two Tests in the ongoing series against South Africa. Former Proteas pacer Morne Morkel feels, the southpaw may find himself in trouble if doesn’t get runs quickly.&nbsp;“For me, Pant is a quality player but I would rather let the bat do the talking at the moment than him behind the stumps. I reckon before you know, a couple of low scores and he’s going to find himself in trouble there. fighting for a spot in the team. I’m quite surprised with that,” Morkel told Star Sports.&nbsp;Rishabh Pant has gone relatively cold since his heroics against Australia earlier this year. He played two sensational knocks in Sydney and Brisbane. Since then, apart from his century against England at home, Pant has scored only one half-century in 13 innings, out of which five have produced single-digit scores. Earlier in England, he managed only 146 runs in 7 innings with an average of 20.85. In fact, couldn’t cross the fifty-mark in his last 13 Test innings.&nbsp;The focus so far has been on the trio of Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, and Virat Kohli. India’s middle order is struggling to get big scores and it’s a matter of time before the miasma of criticism gets to Pant. It is not just lack of runs, his dismissal made quite a big headlines as the 24-year-old played a rash shot against Rabada to get out on duck in the second innings of the Wanderers Test. He also received a lot of criticism from former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar.&nbsp;The third and final Test match starts in Cape Town from January 11. This provides Pant with excellent opportunity to prove himself.

'Let the bat do the talking', former SA pacer Morkel warns Pant

Team India arrive at Cape Town after a seven-wicket thrashing in the second Test at the Wanderers. Virat &amp; Co. have lost the favourites tag after the defeat at the bullring. Dean Elgar-powered South Africa now hold the edge over Kohli’s Men in Blue. With the series and pride on the line, captain Kohli is most likely return ahead of the third Test from January 11.&nbsp;In the last five Test matches at Newlands, team India have lost three while the other two had ended in draws. Last time, Pacers ran riot and the same could be the case this time as well. Virat Kohli led India lost the match by 72 runs in a low-scoring match that ended in four days in the previous encounter.&nbsp;There was no hostility when team India arrived in the city as Cape Town is a home away from home for thousands of Indian-origin living there, Virat &amp; Co. got a traditional welcome with Sitar and African Djembe drums.&nbsp;After breaching Centurion fortress where India never won before, under KL Rahul’s captaincy, the Men in Blue lost their first Test ever in Johannesburg. But with Virat Kohli back to lead the side, Team India will be hoping to breach the Cape Town fortress where India have never won before. This could be India’s golden chance to win their first ever Test series in the rainbow nation.

With the Series on the line, Sitar and Djembe drum welcome Virat Kohli & Co. in Cape Town

Highly acclaimed cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has observed Virat Kohli’s entire career closely and wishes to see his best in 2022. The cricket analyst apparently wants Kohli to show glimpses of his form between 2016 and 2018. For the unversed, Kohli was on a roll in this period and scored runs for fun.&nbsp;Scoring hundreds seemed an easy task for Virat Kohli once. However, things seemed to have changed over the last couple of years for India’s chasemaster. The 33-year-old batter hasn’t smashed an international century since November 2019 and it will be interesting to see when the wait will get over. Kohli’s last ton was against Bangladesh in India’s first pink ball Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.&nbsp;“In 2022, I would love to see at least a glimpse of Virat Kohli from 2016-2018,” Harsha Bhogle said on Sunandan Lele’s show Cricket and Beyond when asked of his expectations from 2022.&nbsp;Kohli had missed the New Year’s Test against South Africa due to an upper back spasm. KL Rahul led in his absence and India suffered a seven-wicket defeat.&nbsp;Nevertheless, the right-hander is expected to regain fitness ahead of the third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town, which is scheduled to take place in Cape Town next week. The three-match series is currently poised at 1-1. This makes the last game a decider and India need a win a earn a maiden Test series win on South African soil.&nbsp;Team India coach Rahul Dravid on Kohli’s fitness:&nbsp;“Virat Kohli should be fine from all accounts, he should be fine. He has had the opportunity to run around a little bit, he has had the opportunity to test it a little bit. Hopefully with a couple of net sessions in Cape Town, he should be good to go. Everything I am hearing and just having a chat with him, he should be good to go in four days time,” said Dravid.&nbsp;

I would love to see glimpses of Virat Kohli from 2016-18 in 2022: Harsha Bhogle 

India's Test captain finally showed up for the pre-match press conference after missing out the second Test in Johannesburg due to back spasm, where India had to suffer a seven-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa.&nbsp;Virat was countered with a host of questions in the pressers. On being asked about the form slump he is going through, Virat said it's not the first time he's going through this and also defended himself by saying that he has already set the benchmark and he wants to perform well for the team.&nbsp;"Not the first time I have gone through a low phase with the bat. I don't look at myself from the lens the outside world looks with. I have set the benchmark, i want to perform well for the team. You have to understand sometimes things do not go in the way you want to. Sometimes focal point has to shift. If all the times you judge yourself by milestones, you will never be happy. I am at peace with how i am playing and contributing to the team. As long as I am doing the right things, I don't worry about other things." Kohli said.&nbsp;With Virat back in the team, the pepped up India are all set for the decider Test as they chase their first Test series victory on the South African soil.&nbsp;

I am at peace with how I am playing: Kohli downplays slump in form despite two century-less years

Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar has revealed the quickest bowler he has ever faced in his cricketing career. The legendary batter narrated an incident from a Test match between India and Australia in Sydney. The former India captain recalled how Jeff Thomson cranked up his speed following an incident with current Indian selector Chetan Chauhan.&nbsp;"The quickest was Jeff Thomson," said Gavaskar during a show on SuperSport Cricket. "In Sydney, Australia had won the toss and batted and we dismissed them for 140 or something. Here, Tommo was in his whites even before tea. And it had just started to drizzle. Man, he was something. He was not happy about bowling at that stage."&nbsp;"My opening partner Chetan Chauhan used to play this slash, that used to send the ball racing. And the team was teasing him about it. So he played that shot off Tommo and it went off the top edge, once ball into the boundary for four. In Sydney, the visitors' change room is closer to the action than the home team change room so when that boundary was hit, everyone got up and shouted 'Master'. We all could hear it. Chetan, recognizing that these guys are making fun, started to shake his head and laugh. But as he laugh, he made eye contact with Tommo in his follow through," added the 72-year-old.&nbsp;Further narrating the incident, the former Indian opener said, "Tommo thought that he was laughing at him. So we went across and marked a cross on Chetan's helmet. He said, 'I am going to hit you there and then see if you laugh'. Chetan said 'you do what you want'. And I am from the non-striker's end and trying to tell him, 'Chetan, leave it.' I am speaking to him in Marathi and he tells me, I am a Rajput'. I don't take a backward step'. And after that, he was bowling like the wind. Everything was flying around. Unbelievable. That was the fastest spell I have faced."&nbsp;Gavaskar belonged to an era of cricket where intimidating fast bowlers threatened to injure bowlers as proper helmets were yet to be introduced. There was the West Indies fast-bowling quartet of Malcom Marshall, Joel Garner, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding, along with the Australian duo of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee. The fact that Gavaskar played without a helmet and excelled against these bowlers on their own soil speaks volumes of his talent. The right-handed batter was the first batter to 10,000 Test runs.&nbsp;

Gavaskar shares epic story about 'quickest bowler' he faced

South African skipper Dean Elgar expects more verbal blows will be traded in the series decider of the three-Test series against India at Newlands, Cape Town especially with Virat Kohli returning after recovering from upper back spasm.&nbsp;&nbsp;"Virat brings a different dynamic to the game. I don't think I missed him. But I think potentially his team missed him, no doubt just from a captaincy point of view and maybe from a strategy point of view.&nbsp;"He is a world class player and very experienced within their squad. His name speaks for itself and it's one of the more respected cricketers around so I wouldn't say I missed him... But it doesn't matter who are playing against. We as a team, we need to focus on us," Elgar told reporters in a virtual pre-match press conference.&nbsp;The Wanderers Test witnessed a verbal spat between Rishabh Pant and Rassie van der Dussen which ended with the former’s wicket. Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen’s heated exchange was put on stop by the umpire after the young Proteas fast bowler bowled a barrage of short deliveries. It was followed by Mohammed Siraj saying something to skipper Elgar in the ending stages of the run chase.&nbsp;The Proteas opener also feels that the third Test will be South Africa’s biggest game in last 10-15 years especially because the team is going through a transition phase.&nbsp;"This test is potentially the biggest we've had in 10 years, maybe even 15 years. And I think that speaks for its own respect. Test cricket is always going to have intensity, me as a player harbouring the intensity as well. So I don't think it's going to lack intensity.&nbsp;"Test cricket still demands quite a high level of intensity and you have to maintain that throughout five days. I know it's not always possible to maintain that throughout five days. But you have to be pretty consistent with regards to implementing the intensity throughout. That's why it's so important to switch off when you can switch off.&nbsp;"We saw in the Wanderers the minute we brought the intensity it seemed to almost flush the Indians quite a lot. And when that can play in our favour and it would be silly for us not to try and replicate that or even bring even more intensity into the next game," said the 34-year-old.

‘I don’t think I missed him,’ says Elgar expecting more heated exchanges with Kohli's return

The South African team bounced back in an emphatic manner in the second Test, at the Wanderers, in Johannesburg against India to level the three-match Test series. India Test team skipper Virat Kohli was not a part of the squad due to injury issues and batsman KL Rahul led the side in his absence. And unsurprisingly, after the defeat, Rahul had to face a lot of criticism and backlash because of his style of leadership. &nbsp;&nbsp;Gambhir's wordsAnd now, former India opener Gautam Gambhir has expressed his views on this matter. According to Gambhir, Indian team did miss the leadership of Kohli in the second Test match.&nbsp;&nbsp;“We definitely missed Virat Kohli the batsman. Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Rohit Sharma, these are the type of batters you miss. And it is difficult to find their replacement, no matter what form they are in, because the expectation remains that they will score those big runs. But Kohli the captain, we missed him as well because he is so experienced and things turn simpler for experienced captains because they have been around for long,” Gambhir said in a television show.&nbsp;The former World-Cup winning batsman thinks that the more time Rahul spends, the better he will learn. According to the former left-handed batsman a player must be an aggressive captain but not by attitude rather with his field placements.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is not like ODI or T20I captaincy“But KL Rahul, the more time he spends, the better he will learn, but the faster he learns the better it is. This is not like ODI or T20I captaincy, which is far easier because you don't have to focus much on field placements. In Test cricket you need to buy the wickets, sometimes even gamble with your choices.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Like in the case of Bavuma, had he placed three slips instead of keeping one at the cover and tempt him into playing the drive maybe there could have been an opportunity for caught behind. But he kept a deep point which was a defensive mindset and it is something that he should be told about. You need to be an aggressive captain, not by attitude, but with your field placements,” he explained.

This former Indian batsman talks about KL Rahul's captaincy; says India missed the leadership of Kohli in 2nd Test

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