THE KNOCK

 

Image Credit- The Quint.

Venue- Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town [January 2022].

In December-January 2022, Indian Cricket Team toured South Africa to play 3 Tests and 3 ODIs. Due to the Covid 19 pandemic it was decided to play the matches behind closed doors. The Indians won the first test at Centurion whereas the Proteas won the second test at Johannesburg. As a result, all eyes were now set in Cape Town which was hosting the third and the final test of the series. Virat Kohli who missed the second test was back in the team. This certainly gave a boost to the visitors. 

On a gloomy day at Cape Town, Indian Captain Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bat first. The Indians started of slowly and steadily. However back-to-back wickets in two overs reduced the Indian scorecard to 33/2.  The game was on knife edge, and this is when Captain Kohli came out to bat. The conditions were tough, but Kohli batted with patience and perseverance. He defended the tough balls and played shots on loose deliveries. Furthermore, the dual between Rabada and Kohli was a battle worth remembering. Rabada was bowling with all his pace and might, whereas Kohli was playing and leaving those deliveries without looking uncomfortable. 

In a difficult Newlands track, Virat Kohli's tenacious display demonstrated patience and application as he guided India to a fighting first-inning score. Due to Kohli's gritty 79 Indians ended up scoring 223 in their first innings. It is pertinent to note that except Virat Kohli no other batsman reached the 50 runs mark. It was that difficult to bat on that track. In response the Proteas were bowled out for 210 in their first innings. Keegan Petersen was the leading scorer for the hosts as he scored a solid 72 from 166 deliveries, whereas for Indians Jasprit Bumrah picked up 5 wickets. 

The South African bowling was at its all-time best in the second innings as they dismissed India for just 198 runs in their second innings. India would have even struggled to reach 100 runs mark, but due to the century of Pant, Indians managed to set a fighting target for the Proteas. The Indian bowlers gave their best but, it was never going to be easy a below par total. The Proteas chased down 212 comfortably and thus won the match as well as series. 

Unfortunately, after this test match Virat Kohli stepped down as the Captain of the Indian Test Team and thereby marking the end of an era. However, that knock of 79 will forever be remembered by Indian Cricket Fans. 

To watch the knock of Virat Kohli, Click Here.