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

Indian skipper KL Rahul desperately wanted to win the three-match ODI series against South Africa to forget the heartbreaking 2-1 Test series defeat against the Proteas. But after conceding defeats in two back-to-back ODIs, Skipper Rahul has multiple things to worry about.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ordinary bowling attackIndian bowling attack seemed pretty ordinary in the ODI series after it managed to pick up just seven wickets in two matches. In the batting unit also, there is not much that would satisfy Indian cricket fans and followers. A terrible middle-order collapse in the first ODI saw the visitors lose 5 wickets after Virat Kohli’s dismissal, within a span of just runs. &nbsp;&nbsp;All-rounder Shardul Thakur did score a half-century (50 runs off 43 balls) but that was hardly enough as team India lost the first match by 31 runs while chasing a total of 296 runs.&nbsp;Apart from pacer Jasprit Bumrah and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin not a single Indian bowler succeeded in picking up even a wicket.&nbsp;But not only team India’s performance but also skipper Rahul’s decisions, were highly criticised after the match. All-rounder Venkatsesh Iyer who was making his ODI debut was not given a chance to bowl a single over in the first ODI.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the second match, Iyer did get a chance to bowl but could not do much to earn the leader’s faith. The 27-year-old, Madhya Pradesh-born all-rounder bowled 5 overs and conceded 28 runs without bagging a wicket. Bumrah, Thakur and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal picked up a wicket each as South Africa successfully chased down a target of 288 runs losing just 3 wickets with 11 balls remaining.&nbsp;&nbsp;Changes in teamIn a situation like this, when there is not much to play for, Indian team management might give a chance to players like Suryakumar Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Jayant Yadav and others in the third and final ODI of the series that willk taken place on January &nbsp;23 (Sunday), in Cape Town.&nbsp;South Africa team on the other hand, will be mighty pleased with their performance. Test team under the leadership of Dean Elgar already had claimed the Test series victory and now ODI skipper Temba Bavuma has been able to lead his side to a remarkable ODI victory as the Proteas will surely be aiming for a whitewash in the ODI series.

India to play for pride in 3rd ODI as South Africa aim for series whitewash

Indian skipper KL Rahul made four changes to the side for the third ODI at Newlands, Cape Town after winning the toss and electing to field first. Hard-hitting battter Suryakumar Yadav, spin all-rounder Jayant Yadav, Prasidh Krishna and Deepak Chahar replaced Venkatesh Iyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur respectively.&nbsp;Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma on the other hand, made just a single change to the squad. Dwaine Pretorius came in the squad in place of spinner Tabraiz Shamsi.&nbsp;&nbsp;Indian team had previously suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in the three-match Test series against South Africa and now the Indian ODI team under the leadership of stand-in skipper Rahul have lost two back-to-back ODIs and are currently aiming to avoid a humiliating whitewash.&nbsp;Both India’s batting and bowling have been hugely criticised in the series till now. In India's two losses, apart of the team’s performance, skipper Rahul’s tactics have been questioned by former cricketers as well.&nbsp;India Playing XI: KL Rahul (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Jayant Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahar, Prasidh Krishna&nbsp;&nbsp;South Africa playing XI: Janneman Malan, Quinton de Kock (wk), Temba Bavuma (c), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala,Lungi Ngidi&nbsp;

KL Rahul makes 4 changes for 3rd ODI; IPL sensation out, Suryakumar Yadav gets a chance

South Africa wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock has surpassed former Indian opener Virender Sehwag to become the fastest to six ODI hundreds against a single opponent. De Kock took just 16 innings to hit six centuries against India. The southpaw achieved the record in the third ODI against India on January 23 at Newlands, Cape Town with a 124-run knock.&nbsp;On the fastest to six ODI tons list, he is followed by Sehwag (23 innings), Aaron Finch (23 innings) and Saeed Anwar (26 innings). Sehwag has 6 ODI centuries against New Zealand whereas Finch and Anwar achieved the feat against England and Sri Lanka respectively.&nbsp;&nbsp;With a dominating knock against KL Rahul-led side, De Kock has also become the batter with second joint-most ODI three figures against India. Only former Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya has seven tons against India in the format. Apart from De Kock, his former Proteas teammate AB de Villiers, Australia’s Ricky Ponting and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara also have six ODI tons against India.&nbsp;The southpaw also became the fourth wicketkeeper-batter to score 1,000 runs or more against India in the 50-over format. De Kock has scored 1,013 runs from 16 appearances at an average of 63.31. He has also registered two half-centuries against India. The list is headed by Sangakarra with 2,632 runs from 67 innings followed by Australia’s Adam Gilchrist (1,622 runs from 45 innings) and Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (1,083 runs from 31 innings). However, none of the other three wicketkeeper-batter has an average over 50.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 29-year-old has been in good form of late. He has scored 229 runs from three ODIs in the series against India. In the dead rubber third ODI, he helped the hosts recover from two early wickets of Janneman Malan and skipper Temba Bavuma. From 70/3, he stitched a 144-run partnership with Rassie van der Dussen to help his side post a fighting total of 287. His record-breaking knock included 12 fours and two sixes.&nbsp;In December 2021, De Kock announced his retirement from Test cricket after defeat in Centurion. He cited the need to spend more time with his family as the main reason behind leaving the Test series midway.

Quinton de Kock breaks Virender Sehwag 11-year-old record with sixth ODI ton in 16 innings against India

South Africa completed a whitewash in the three-ODI series with a thrilling win by four runs in the third ODI at Newlands, Cape Town. Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah looked like they will pull off an unlikely heist at Cape Town but a cluster of wickets in slog overs left India five runs short of the target despite the all-rounder’s quickfire 54.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dhawan-Kohli steady shipIndia’s run chase did not get off to an ideal start as they lost stand-in skipper KL Rahul for just nine runs. Opener Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli set the foundation for the run chase. Dhawan scored 61 off 73 deliveries laced with five fours and one six. Andile Phehlukwayo broke the second-wicket partnership by getting rid of Dhawan. The two shared a 98-run stand for the second wicket. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant bagged a shocking golden duck. Pant's ultra-aggressiveness led to a simple catch at deep cover to Sisanda Magala.&nbsp;&nbsp;Former skipper Kohli carried on and scored his second half-century of the series. But once again, the 71st international century eluded him as he got out to Keshav Maharaj for second consecutive ODI. He scored 65 runs from 84 deliveries including five boundaries. Shreyas Iyer once again got off to a decent start but failed to convert it and left the field in the 38th over.&nbsp;&nbsp;Chahar revives run chaseBatting for the first time in the series, Suryakumar Yadav did not curb his attacking instinct and kept India in the game with his 32-ball 39 cameo. Playing his first ODI after more than five years, Jayant Yadav disappointed too with a single-digit score. With seven wickets down for 227 in 43rd over, Indian run chase looked like it was all but over but Chahar revived it with some sensational yet sensible hitting. He hit five fours and two sixes in his 54-run knock. Jasprit Bumrah played second fiddle at the other end getting the all-rounder on strike.&nbsp;&nbsp;Chahar could not finish the job and left Bumrah in the middle after getting India at the doorstep of victory. Lungi Ngidi got the much-needed breakthrough on the first ball of the 48th over with 10 more needed to win. Bumrah tried to take India home but was caught at the edge of the circle by Bavuma in the penultimate over. Bumrah scored 12 runs from 15 deliveries with the help of two boundaries. Eight runs off nine deliveries turned out to be too much to chase for tailenders Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishan as India got all out for 283 with four balls still to go.&nbsp;Early wicketsEarlier, Rahul invited South Africa to bat first after winning the toss. India got early breakthroughs with the new ball. Chahar got rid of opener Janneman Malan whereas Rahul’s direct hit found skipper Bavuma short of the crease. But Quinton de Kock continued his good form and kept the boundaries coming from the other end. During his marathon spell with the new ball, Chahar also got the wicket of Aiden Markram, reducing South Africa to 70/3 in the 13th over. Dropped catches and De Kock’s dominanceIn the middle overs, dropped catches from wicketkeeper Pant off Jayant Yadav’s bowling cost India as De Kock and Rassie van der Dussen shared a 144-run partnership for the fourth wicket to help the Proteas recover from a faulty start. India got two wickets in consecutive over. De Kock got out in the 36th over to Jasprit Bumrah but not before scoring 124 runs from 130 deliveries including 12 fours and two sixes. He also became the fastest to six ODI centuries against India. Van de Dussen followed him back to the dressing room in the next over as he got out trying to hit a six off Yuzvendra Chahal’s bowling. He scored 52 runs from 59 deliveries including four fours and one six.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hosts manage fighting totalPhehlukwayo struggled to get the strike turning over and got run out for a score of four runs. David Miller and Dwaine Pretorius helped South Africa progress towards a fighting total. The two shared a crucial 44-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Pretorius contributed 20 runs to the total. Miller continued and scored a handy 39 off 38 deliveries including three fours and one six. In the slog overs, Prasidh Krishna managed to take three wickets as South Africa were all out for 287 with a ball left in their innings.&nbsp;

Chahar-Bumrah's Cape Town heist malfunctions in slog overs as Proteas whitewash India with thrilling 4-run win

Indian team were defeated by South Africa in the first ODI by 31 runs. The Indian ODI team under the leadership of KL Rahul would have wanted to come back in a convincing way after suffering a 2-1 defeat in the Test series against South Africa but unfortunately that did not happen.&nbsp;But currently, on-field issues are not the only headlines in Indian cricket as a lot has been spoken about the captaincy saga that has taken place in Indian cricket. Recently, Virat Kohli decided to relinquish his Test captaincy as well.&nbsp;Kaneria's claimAnd now, former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has opened up on this issue. In a controversial claim, Kaneria said that the “Indian dressing room was divided into two groups” and “Kohli and KL Rahul were sitting apart.”&nbsp;“We saw during in the game that the Indian dressing room was divided into two groups. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were sitting apart. Also, Kohli wasn’t in the same mood as he used to be when he was the captain. But he’s a team man and will come back stronger,” said Kaneria on his official YouTube channel.&nbsp;India's deefeatIn the first ODI of the series, batting first, Proteas scored a total of 296 for 4 wickets in 50 overs. Skipper Temba Bavuma scored a century (110 off 143 balls) and he was well supported by the Man of the Match Russie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96 balls).&nbsp;In reply, India got a good start as opener Shikhar Dhawan scored 79 runs off 84 balls. Kohli also scored a half-century (51 off 63 balls). But a miserable performance from the Indian middle order batting saw team India lose five wickets within just 62 runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;All-rounder Shardul Tahkur tried to manage the situation but his 50 runs off 43 deliveries eventually turned out to be inadequate as the hosts secured a 31-run victory in the first ODI.&nbsp;In the second match of the series, slated to take place on January 21, skipper Rahul will have a lot to think about. Rahul will expect the middle order to contribute more with the bat in order to level the series. &nbsp;

'KL Rahul and Virat Kohli were sitting apart,' former Pakistan spinner makes sensational claim

Indian skipper KL Rahul won the toss and decided to bat first against South Africa in the second ODI at Boland Park, in Paarl. Rahul made no changes to the squad that had lost to the Proteas in the first ODI by 31 runs on January 19.&nbsp;One change for the hostsSouth African team, on the other hand, made one change to their squad. 31-year-old pacer Sisanda Magala was brought in the squad and Marco Jansen was dropped.&nbsp;“Marco had a big workload in the Test series, and felt he was a bit flat in the first game, we got full confidence in Magala and that's the reason behind the change,” Temba Bavuma said at the coin toss.&nbsp;Skipper Rahul would have been desperate to forget the painful 2-1 Test series defeat against South Africa and start the ODI series on a positive note but his hopes were shattered after Indian team suffered a 31-run defeat In the first match of the series.&nbsp;Batting first, the hosts scored a formidable total&nbsp;of 296/4 in the first game. Skipper Bavuma (110 runs off 143 balls) and Russie van der Dussen (129 not out off 96 balls) played brilliantly to put Indian bowling unit under pressure.&nbsp;&nbsp;Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah had picked up two wickets.&nbsp;&nbsp;In reply, India got a good start as opener Shikhar Dhawan (79 runs off 84 balls) and Virat Kohli (51 off 63 balls) took India to a comfortable position. But after Kohli’s dismissal, a middle-order collapse saw team India lose five wickets within a span of just 62 runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;All-rounder Shardul Thakur scored a half century (50 off 43 balls) but that was not enough as India managed to 265 for 8 wickets in 50 overs.&nbsp;Indian playing XI:KL Rahul (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal&nbsp;South African playing XI:&nbsp;Quinton de Kock (wk), Janneman Malan, Temba Bavuma (captain), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, David Miller, Andile Phehlulwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Sisanda Magala, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi

Still no Suryakumar Yadav in India's playing XI, South Africa make one major change in bowling

A lot has been said and discussed in recent times about Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s batting style and shot selection. In the recently-concluded three-match Test series between India and South Africa, Pant’s shot selection became a central point of various debates. Now once again, Pant's playing style has gained attention after he played another poor shot in the third ODI against South Africa on January 23 (Sunday).&nbsp;The Indian wicketkeeper could not start the ODI series on a positive note after he was dismissed scoring just 16 runs in the first ODI. In the second match of the series, Pant played a brilliant knock of 85 off 71 balls.&nbsp;In a situation like this, the wicketkeeper-batsman was expected to play an impressive innings once again in the third ODI at Newlands, Cape Town but Pant failed miserably and returned to the dressing room after scoring a duck and just a facing a single ball.&nbsp;&nbsp;A good startIndian team were chasing a target of 288 runs in the final game of the ODI series. After opening batter Shikhar Dhawan’s (61 runs off 73 balls) dismissal in the 22nd over of the game, Pant came down to bat. Virat Kohli was batting at the other end at that point and Indian team had scored 116 runs losing two wickets.&nbsp;In a situation like this, Pant was expected to play a solid knock and help Kohli in chasing the target successfully. But Pant had some totally different plans. The 24-year-old wicketkeeper advanced and wanted to play a shot over the cover region but his mistimed shot was ultimately caught by Sisanda Magala as Andile Phehlukwayo took the wicket.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kohli reactsAnd Kohli’s reaction surprised the viewers and fans, when Pant was returning to the dressing room after playing that loose shot. The photos of a seemingly animated Kohli have gone viral as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;As soon as Pant got out and started returning back to the dressing room, Kohli was pretty furious. Clearly Kohli was not happy with Pant. Before Pant’s arrival, the former Indian captain and Dhawan had put team India in a strong position. There was a partnership of 98 runs between the two batsmen as well. But Pant’s poor choice of shot changed the outcome of the match.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is important to mention that many former cricketers and experts have already that if Pant needs to change his style if he wants to be in the squad.

Virat Kohli expresses disappointment after Rishabh Pant's poor shot selection in 3rd ODI against South Africa

India's tour of South Africa came to a disappointing end on Sunday (January 23) as the hosts swapped Team India to a 0-3 series defeat in ODIs, but the misery was compounded on the next day as International Cricket Council (ICC) fined the Indian team for slow over-rate. KL Rahul's side was found two overs short of the target when various time allowances were taken into consideration. Match referee Andy Pycroft has charged the Indian team for the slow over-rate offence. This will come as an assault to injury for the 'Men in Blue' after they were culminated to a four-run defeat in the final ODI. &nbsp;"Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after KL Rahul's side was ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. "In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time," a statement released by ICC read. 40 per cent match fee will be deducted from each member of the playing XI as per the ICC rulebook. The Cape Town ODI brought no change in luck for the Indian team as they faced a narrow four-run defeat, having already lost the series 0-2. The level of charge was confirmed by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Bongani Jele, third umpire Allauhudien Palekar and fourth umpire Adrien Holdstock. This is not the first time that Team India have been fined for a slow over-rate on the tour. Earlier, the Test side was docked off three points from the World Test Championship (WTC) standings for maintaining a slow over-rate. Rahul, India's stand-in skipper didn't make the best of the opportunities to lead the side as he was on the losing end in the second Test match in Johannesburg as well. &nbsp;The Indian team can now make amends in the upcoming home series against West Indies, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The wounds of defeat in the Rainbow Nation could be healed when Rohit Sharma's men take guard against the Caribbean nation in a three-match ODI and T20I series. The series will be the first time Rohit takes charge of the Indian ODI side on a permanent basis. Meanwhile, he is also the front runner for the Test captaincy which was vacated by Virat Kohli after the 1-2 Test series loss to Dean Elgar-led Proteas.

ICC rubs salt into India's wounds after 4-run loss, fines all 11 players' 40 per cent match fees

All eyes were on the third and final Test between India and South Africa and fans and followers were anxiously waiting to see whether team&nbsp;India can manage to secure a first innings lead or not. Eventually, another sensational bowling display exhibited by Indian bowlers helped them to clinch an important first innings lead of 13 runs as South Africa were bowled out on Wednesday (January 12) after scoring 210 runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Challenging pace attackSoutth Africa Keegan Petersen said that he feels Indian pace unit is the “most challenging” one he had faced in his career. In the first innings, Petersen scored 72 runs and helped his side in reaching a respectable total.&nbsp;"It's (the Indian pace attack) extremely challenging. It's the most challenging I've had in my whole career. You have to be focused and on your mark all the time or else they will expose you," said Petersen in the press conference after the end of the day's play.&nbsp;"They test you in terms of scoring, there's not much scoring opportunities. They have not given us much. They are arguably one of the best bowling attacks in the world. We knew that coming into the series, it's been challenging, we just got to deal with it," he added.&nbsp;Opening batsmen not getting runsSouth African opening pair failed to do something productive in the first innings as captain Dean Elgar was the first man to be dismissed after scoring just 3 runs. The other opening batsman, Aiden Markram could not do much either as he had depart adding only 8 more runs.&nbsp;Regarding the opening pair’s poor batting show, the 28-year-old batsman feels that they are just “going through a rough time.”&nbsp;"I like batting in at number three, I've batted there for most of my career. In terms of losing early wickets, we have two high-quality opening batters, they're just going through a rough time," Petersen said.&nbsp;"Dean (Elgar) has come through and Aiden is going through a bit of a patch, but he is a quality player, we all know that he (Markram) will come through good eventually.&nbsp;"I'm not fussed, I'll happy to be in the mix to play and if I can make number three mine, I'll be happy," he added.&nbsp;At Stumps, the Virat Kohli-led team were at 57 for 2.

'It's the most challenging I've had in my career,' South Africa batsman praises Indian pace attack

Day 3 of the Cape Town Test may well be the last time Ajinkya Rahane dons the Indian jersey as yet another failure with the bat could spell the end of his Test career. Dismissed for one in the second innings, he has now gone 28 innings without a ton and is steering down the barrel to be out of the squad contention. Earlier he was stripped of the vice-captaincy, which was an early reminder that Rahane was running out of time.&nbsp;What do the numbers say?In his last 28 innings, the 33-year-old has scored only three fifties with a best of 67. On 23 occasions he has ended with a score of less than 40 which goes on to show that he was not in the best of touches. In those 28 innings, he scored 574 runs at an unimpressive average of 20.5. On 11 separate occasions, he was dismissed for a single-digit score along with three ducks.&nbsp;His dismissal off Rabada's bowling left India in a vulnerable position of 58/4. The occasion could have served well for him as time was on his hand with three days of cricket remaining in the decider. But poor shot selection, mistimed shots and wrong judgment have all let him down for the entirety of the last 12 months. He went the entire 2021 without a hundred. Boxing Day Test 2020 was the last time he managed to reach the magical three-figure mark.&nbsp;Iyer and Vihari in the wingsShreyas Iyer has been knocking on the doors ever since his debut ton against New Zealand. He has been in superb form in the domestic circuit and in two Test matches so far, has has amassed 202 runs with the highest score of 105. His compatriot, Hanuma Vihari is also a good option to have as he has always impressed whenever presented with a chance. In 13 Tests so far he has 684 runs and five wickets. In the Johannesburg Test, he scored an unbeaten 40 while batting with the tail&nbsp;If this turns out to be Rahane's last match, he will miss out on a milestone 5000 runs by just 69 runs, having ended with 4931 runs in 82 Test matches. His foot movement in the ongoing tour has been disappointing as he has been unsure of whether to go forward or back resulting in getting stuck in the crease and losing his wicket. The lighting was all set to strike on the right-handed batter, Rahane, after the New Zealand series, but factors such as experience, Rohit Sharma's unavailability, coach Rahul Dravid's faith all paved way for Rahane to be part of the Indian team. He had a good record in South Africa as well but with scores of 0, 58, 9 and 1 in his last four innings, we might well have seen the end of another promising career.

Have we seen the last of Ajinkya Rahane after poor show in Cape Town?

Virat Kohli did not end the much-awaited drought of centuries in the ongoing series decider but he went on to break records and achieve personal feats with a patient 29-run knock in the second innings. Playing in his 500th international innings, Kohli has the most runs (23,358 runs) across formats at this stage of his career followed by Sachin Tendulkar (22,214 runs), Ricky Ponting (21,458 runs), Brian Lara (21,451 runs), Jacques Kallis (20,478 runs) and others.&nbsp;&nbsp;Series of featsKohli faced 143 deliveries to score his 29 in the second innings at a strike rate of 20.28. This is his slowest innings in Test cricket without scoring a half-century. In 2021, Kohli faced 132 deliveries against New Zealand in World Test Championship (WTC) final but could not score the fifty-run mark.&nbsp;&nbsp;Virat Kohli has been ultra-cautious on his return after upper back spasm kept him on the sidelines in the Johannesburg Test. In total, he faced 344 deliveries in the third Test which is the most he has faced without scoring a century in a single Test. The previous most deliveries (227) he faced without breaching the 100-run mark was against South Africa also in 2015 at his hometown Delhi.&nbsp;&nbsp;Since 2019, this is also the first time Kohli has scored over 100 runs in a Test match. However, he scored at a strike rate of 31.39 which is the lowest by an Indian captain in the history of Test cricket (recorded) after scoring 100 or more runs. He is followed by Rahul Dravid (31.71), Sunil Gavaskar (35.51) on the list.&nbsp;&nbsp;Big partnershipAfter losing two quick wickets of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane early in Day 3, Kohli shared a 94-run partnership for the fifth wicket with wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. The 94-run partnership is the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership for India in South Africa. The highest partnership for the fifth wicket belongs to Tendulkar and Sehwag. The dynamic duo stitched a 220-run partnership more than two decades ago.&nbsp;This was the fourth time Kohli got dismissed by Lungi Ngidi in the longest format of the game. In the previous innings, Kohli also scored his second-slowest half-century in Test cricket. The skipper got close to the much-awaited century but lost his wicket for 79 to Kagiso Rabada as wickets fell from the other end. His 79-run knock helped India post 223 in the first innings after winning the toss and opting to bat first.

Kohli's slowest Test knock without crossing fifty helps him beat Tendulkar, Ponting, Lara & more

India’s hard-hitting batter Rishabh Pant became the first Indian wicketkeeper to hit a century in South Africa. Pant reached his fourth Test century from 133 deliveries while batting with the tail after skipper Virat Kohli’s wicket in the second session. With the century, Pant surpassed MS Dhoni’s 90-run record of most runs by a wicketkeeper in an innings in South Africa. Dhoni's 90-run knock came in Centurion over 11 years ago.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 24-year-old is the first Asian wicketkeeper-batter to score a century in South Africa. He is also the youngest visiting wicketkeeper-batter to score a century in South Africa. The previous record belonged to England's wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow (26 years and 98 days). During his record-breaking knock, he hit four sixes making him the first Indian batter to hit two two or more sixes in a Test in South Africa.&nbsp;Coming to bat after two quick wickets in form of veterans Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, Pant launched a brutal counter-attack against a rampant South African pace attack in the first session of Day 3 at the Newlands, Cape Town. He did the bulk of scoring in the crucial 94-run partnership with Kohli and then batted with the tail to reach his fourth Test century on South Africa soil. He surpassed Wriddhiman Saha too who has three Test centuries. Now, he is only behind MS Dhoni, who has scored six Test centuries as wicketkeeper for India.&nbsp;&nbsp;After drawing flak for his shot in the second innings of the Johannesburg Test, Pant was at his aggressive-yet cautious best as he helped India post a fighting total in the series decider. The southpaw reached his half-century off 58 deliveries and then took time to reach his century with wickets falling at the other end. He was stranded at the other end as he remained unbeaten for 100 off 139 deliveries. His innings included six fours and four sixes.

Unorthodox Rishabh Pant surpasses MS Dhoni with record-breaking century in Cape Town

Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli was visibly frustrated with the third umpire and the ball-tracking as Dean Elgar got a major reprieve with DRS going in his favour. After the decision left him shocked, Kohli walked up to the stumps and criticised the third umpire and broadcaster SuperSport for the review going in hosts’ favour.&nbsp;"Focus on your team as well as they shine the ball and not just the opposition trying to catch people all the time," Kohli said into the stump mic whereas in the background KL Rahul said, “Whole country is playing against us”.&nbsp;Kohli did not stop there as he went on to say, “SuperSport is a joke”.&nbsp;Ashwin too expressed his disappointment as he walked up to the stumps and said, “You have got to find better ways to win tournament”.&nbsp;In between the deliveries, Kohli took another dig at the third umpire by instructing his bowlers as he said, “Hit the stumps or get him caught. Real experts sitting up there”.&nbsp;The 33-year-old continued to mock the third umpire and the DRS technology used in the ongoing decider of the three-Test series at the Newlands, Cape Town. In the 28th over, Jasprit Bumrah appealed for an lbw but the umpire turned it down to which Kohli signalled and said in a sarcastic manner that it should have gone above the shoulder.&nbsp;&nbsp;Earlier even on-field umpire Marais Erasmus was left shocked at the decision as he mouthed “That is impossible” when his decision was overturned and Ravichandran Ashwin was denied a wicket.&nbsp;In the ongoing final Test of the series, Allahudien Paleker is the third umpire. It is yet to be seen whether Kohli gets reprimanded for his actions by the match referee Andy Pycroft for showing dissent over third umpire's decision.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kohli has been critical of DRS earlier as well. He is not convinced with the umpire’s call which prevents the third umpire from overturning the decision when the hawkeye shows it was partially hitting the stumps.&nbsp;

Frustrated Virat Kohli speaks into stump mic, criticises 3rd umpire & calls SuperSport 'a joke' after DRS saves Elgar

In the dying moments of Day 3, India got the crucial wicket of skipper Dean Elgar, the man who guided his team to a win in Johannesburg run chase. South Africa finished Day 3 with 101/2 on the board. The hosts need 111 more runs with eight wickets in hand on Day 4 to quash Virat Kohli-led India’s dream to win their maiden Test series on South African soil.&nbsp;&nbsp;Controversy over DRS callHero of first innings, Jasprit Bumrah broke the second wicket partnership to send Elgar back to pavilion on a score of 30. Few overs earlier, Elgar survived a close call as DRS worked in his favour. While Elgar got a major reprieve with hawkeye showing that the ball was missing the stumps, it created controversy on the headline. With umpire Marais Erasmus reacting “That is impossible”, Kohli was furious with the third umpire’s decision as he deliberately spoke into the stump mic calling the broadcaster SuperSport a joke. Teammates KL Rahul and Ravichandran Ashwin joined him as well in criticising third umpire Allahudien Paleker.&nbsp;&nbsp;Petersen continues to frustrateHowever, Elgar did not make full use of the decision going his way as he could add only three runs to his score. On the other hand, Keegan Petersen got runs quickly with Indian fielders chirping in the background. India leaked 31 runs in this period in just 5.4 overs. Petersen, the half-centurion of the previous innings walked back to the dressing room unbeaten for 48 off 61 deliveries.&nbsp;&nbsp;Markram falls againEarlier in the run chase, South Africa got off to a positive start with a few boundaries but once again opener Aiden Markram became Mohammed Shami’s victim. Markram scored 16 runs off 22 deliveries including four boundaries.&nbsp;Pant lifts India single-handedlyEarlier in the day, South African bowlers started with a bang with two quick wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane. Rishabh Pant and Kohli steadied the ship with the 94-run partnership for the fifth wicket. While Kohli got out after scoring 29 runs, Pant fought the lone battle with wickets falling from the other end. No other batsman scored in double digits but Pant managed to score a record-breaking century and take India’s lead past 200. Pant remained unbeaten on 100 while India got bundled out for 198 in their second innings. Marco Jansen picked up four wickets whereas Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi took three wickets each.&nbsp;

India face uphill task to create history after controversial end to Day 3’s play

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir heavily criticised India captain Virat Kohli after he was seen shouting at the stump microphone. The “immature” behaviour occurred after the third umpire overturned Dean Elgar's LBW decision. The decision was not accepted with open arms by the Indian team as skipper Kohli walked up to the microphone to criticise the third umpire and the broadcaster. “Kohli is very immature. Its worst for an Indian captain to say like this in stumps. By doing this you will never be an idol to youngsters," Gambhir said on the Star Sports show. “In first innings when you got a 50-50 call on caught behind then you were silent and in Mayank appeal too,” he concluded by reminding the two DRS decisions that went India's way on first two days of the Test. The incident occurred on the first ball of the 27th over of South Africa’s second innings as Ravichandran Ashwin thought he had got the better of the South African captain. Elgar decided to challenge the on-field decision made by standing umpire Marais Erasmus. The hawkeye showed otherwise as the ball was bouncing over the leg stump and Elgar was given a huge reprieve. In reaction to the overturned decision, several Indian players showed their dissent by coming to the microphone of the stump and blasting at the name of the broadcast company 'Supersport'. Apart from Kohli, Ashwin and Kl Rahul also made their anger felt. The heated battle though was brought to some rest when Elgar was eventually dismissed off the final ball of the day by Jasprit Bumrah. With 111 runs more to win for the hosts, India need wicket sin clusters to make a comeback in the series decider. At Day 3, Stumps, South Africa were 101/2 with Keegan Peterson well set at 48.&nbsp;

Gambhir blasts Kohli for 'immature' stump mic reaction, says it is 'worst for an Indian captain'

With the match going neck and neck, captain Virat Kohli was seen once again losing his temperament and this time with South Africa's Rassie Van der Dussen on Day 4 of the decider Test in Cape Town on Friday (January 14).&nbsp;Virat was seen exchanging words when India's caught behind review went in the favour of Van der Dussen in the 37th over as Proteas are currently at 155/3 and need 57 runs more to win the match.&nbsp;Earlier, in the second Test match in Johannesburg, Van der Dussen sledged Rishabh Pant which yielded result in South Africa's favour as the Indian wicket-keeper on being triggered played an outlandish shot and lost his wicket. However, in response, Pant awaited the arrival of Rassie to the crease before he began his usual chatter. He kept pointing out that the South Africans ‘can only score off edges’ and their No.4 batter (Rassie) forgot where his guard is.&nbsp;This was the second time in the third Test match that Kohli had lost his cool as his frustration with an earlier stump mic rant took the spotlight on Day 3 of the ongoing match. Van der Dussen was beaten by Mohammed Shami and the Indian team went for the appeal in unison. But the umpire said no and Kohli instantly took a review.&nbsp;The replays showed a spike when the ball was going past the outside edge but the bat was also scraping the ground at the same time, so the third umpire asked Erasmus to stay with his verdict. Kohli was seen having a word with the onfield umpire Marais Erasmus and then exchanged some colourful words with Van der Dussen, referring to the South African's little episode with Pant in the second Test. "When you go after someone who is five years younger than you," Kohli told Van der Dussen, asking him if he had sledged Rishabh in the second Test.&nbsp;Earlier on Day 3, after South Africa skipper Dean Elgar got a massive reprieve due to a contentious DRS decision, the Indian captain along with his teammates lost their cool and vented their anger on the stump mic. Ashwin also could not stop himself from taking a dig at the ball-tracking technology of the broadcaster, saying, "You should find better ways to win Supersport."&nbsp;&nbsp;Even umpire Erasmus couldn't believe his eyes and the stump mic heard him saying, "That's not possible."&nbsp;Dejected with the shocking decision, KL Rahul was heard saying, "Whole country playing against XI guys," as the opener tried to lift the morale of his teammates. Another of his teammates said, "broadcasters are here to make money boys.""I hope the stump microphone is recording it," said another. Kohli added to that,"Focus on your team as well and not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time." Kohli had in fact sledged Elgar even before that when he made a snide remark about Elgar being intimidated by Jasprit Bumrah. "Unbelievable. After a Man of the Match performance in the last game, running (away) from Jasprit. Chirping for 13 years, Dean and you think you are gonna keep me quiet," Kohli said from slips.&nbsp;Such has been the saga of sledging in the ongoing India-South Africa Test series which doesn't seem to stop until the winners are decided.

Animated Virat Kohli in war of words with Rassie van der Dussen for sledging Rishabh Pant

In the post-match press conference, Virat Kohli cleared the air over his participation in the upcoming three-ODI series against South Africa under the captaincy of KL Rahul. Earlier, there were reports that Kohli will fly back to India and miss the ODI series due to personal reasons.&nbsp;"I'm looking forward to the ODIs. I don't think what happened here will be taken forward. We weren't mauled. We were competitive. We didn't throw in the towel. We know what we're capable of,” Kohli clarified while talking to the media in a virtual press conference from Cape Town.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kohli was recently sacked from ODI captaincy which created controversy as the 33-year-old claimed lack of communication during an explosive press conference as he falsified Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly and chairman of selection committee Chetan Chauhan.&nbsp;&nbsp;Rohit Sharma was named the new ODI captain of the side whereas an injury forced him out of the South Africa tour. In his absence, vice-captain KL Rahul was given the responsibility to lead the team in the 50-over format.&nbsp;&nbsp;On India’s previous tour of South Africa, Kohli was phenomenal with the bat scoring 558 runs from six ODIs at an average of 186 including three centuries and one half-century. While the 71st international century has continued to elude the Delhi-born batter for over 25 months, Kohli has not had a bad time in 50-over cricket compared to the red-ball format. He has scored 649 runs from 15 appearances at an average of 43.26 including eight half-centuries.&nbsp;After losing their seventh Test series on South African soil, India will play the Proteas in the first ODI starting January 21 at Boland Park, Paarl. This will also be the first time Kohli will be donning the coloured jersey after getting sacked as India’s ODI skipper.&nbsp;India’s ODI squad: KL Rahul (c), Jasprit Bumrah (vc), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj, Jayant Yadav, Navdeep Saini

Virat Kohli clears the air over his participation in ODI series under KL Rahul's captaincy

Virat Kohli finally spoke on the stump mic controversy that remained the talk of the town from Day 3 of the third Test match between India and South Africa that Dean Elgar's men comprehensively won by seven-wickets to finally claim the Test series 2-1.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I have no comment to make on it [stump pic chatter from day three]. I'm not interested in making a controversy out of it. It happened, we have moved on. The reality is that we did not apply enough pressure on them consistently,” Virat said post the match.&nbsp;Match officials have spoken to the Indian players/management and warned them.&nbsp;Virat Kohli’s on-ground tantrum of venting out to a stump-microphone had not gone down well with many in the cricket fraternity. Indian skipper was slammed by senior players for his ranting, after the TV umpire declared that South African cricketer Dean Elgar was not out. The incident happened in the 21st over of the Test match yesterday (January 14) which was being bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin. Ashwin threw a flighted one which dipped and then straightened to beat a lunging Elgar's bat. Umpire Marais Erasmus, who was on the field, straightaway lifted his finger but Elgar appealed for DRS which overturned the initial decision much to the chagrin of Kohli.&nbsp;The skipper couldn’t control his anger at the sudden turn of events, and neither could his team-mates and Indian players, who knew that the stump microphone catches every bit of verbal stuff, went closer to the stump-mic and made several comments about the contentious decision.&nbsp;"Whole country is against 11 players," said one while the other said, "broadcasters are here to make money, boys."

Virat Kohli breaks silence on stump mic controversy during Cape Town Test

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