Virat Kohli does not need us, we need him: Bumrah
Bumrah, however, stressed that Kohli knows his cricket better than anyone else and that his experience of batting in these challenging conditions was essential from the team’s perspective.
During India’s humiliating defeat to South Africa in the first Test on Thursday, stalwart hitter Virat Kohli became the first batter to achieve 2000 runs in seven different calendar years.
Dean Elgar’s graceful 185, along with South Africa’s perfect pace, annihilated India in three days. When the other batsmen were unable to deal with the deadly pace three of Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, and Nandre Burger, Kohli piled on the runs with quick singles and boundaries.
Kohli scored 76 off 82 balls in India’s innings and 32-run defeat, bringing his career total to 2006 runs in 2023.
He has done it previously in 2012 (2186 runs), 2014 (2286 runs), 2016, 2595 runs, 2017 (2818 runs), 2018 (2735 runs), and 2019. According to official statistics, no other player has accomplished the feat since international cricket was first played in 1877.
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Day 3 action of the first test match saw India captain Rohit Sharma continue his dismal run in South Africa, particularly against Kagiso Rabada. Rabada’s inward-angled delivery perplexed Rohit, who failed to judge the line, resulting in the ball crashing into the stumps.
The veteran right-handed batter was pulled for an eight-ball duck, his eighth in 11 innings against Rabada.
Yashasvi Jaiswal attempted to escape the delivery, but the ball slid off his glove and into the hands of the wicketkeeper.
Shubman Gill appeared to be set to spend a significant amount of time on the field, but his attempt to play a shot across the straight line was unsuccessful. Gill finished with a score of 26 (37), while Marco Jansen picked his first.
South Africa struck India hard after a poor start to their second innings, dismissing Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahu in short succession. India’s destiny was sealed as Burger traded Ravichandran Ashwin for a golden duck.
Jasprit Bumrah’s runout and Dean Elgar’s superb fielding performance created a commotion. Mohammed Siraj gloved the ball straight to the wicketkeeper following a brilliant review by the South African team.
Prasidh Krishna fought valiantly, but Jansen outlasted Kohli (76), putting an end to India’s fight within the first three days.
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