Star batter Virat Kohli was covering the swing well although he played and missed often until one ball moved away late to send him back to the dressing room, a pleased as punch Kagiso Rabada said after getting his 14th five-wicket haul in Test cricket.
Star India batter Virat Kohli reached another landmark on day one of the first Test match against South Africa in Centurion on Tuesday to become the highest run-getter for India in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2019-2025.
David Bedingham said it is a dream to score a hundred in front of friends and family as he owes them a lot.
Kagiso Rabada's hunger for success and an impeccable technique to release the ball easily makes him a modern-day South Africa legend, reckons former fast bowling great Allan Donald.
Former star spinner Harbhajan Singh picked Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of all-rounder Shardul Thakur for India's upcoming Boxing Day Test clash against South Africa in Centurion.
He should have played ahead of Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna in the Test series opener against South Africa but when Mukesh Kumar finally got his chance at Newlands, the Indian team realised what exactly it missed during the mauling in Centurion.
Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were part of India's Test team till earlier this year, but were left out of the tour to South Africa, the selectors pinning hopes on youngsters Shubman Gill and Yashawi Jaiswal to produce the goods in challenging conditions.
Top order India batter Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the two-Test series in South Africa on Saturday, with Abhimanyu Easwaran drafted in as his replacement.
India went down by an innings and 32 runs -- their worst Test defeat on South African soil.
However, he is expected to be back in time for the first Test against South Africa, starting on December 26.
VIn a dramatic turn of events on Day 3, India faced a resounding defeat against South Africa in the first Test as their batting lineup crumbled, managing only 131 runs in the second innings after the hosts posted a formidable 408 in their initial essay.
South Africa meet India in Centurion in the opening Test starting on December 26 before moving to Cape Town for the second match from January 3.
'We didn't bat well in both innings, that's why we stand here.'
South Africa shredded through the Indian batting line-up to claim victory by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test.
Shubman Gill was at his silken best during Indian team's intra-squad training game here at the Tuks Oval on Thursday even though there wasn't an opportunity to get a glimpse of that enchanting sight.
Dean Elgar scored his 14th Test century to help South Africa to take an 11-run lead with five wickets in hand on Day 2.
Former Cricket South Africa president Dr Ali Bacher is not pleased that India, Australia and England are "marginalising" other boards to enjoy complete hegemony.
'He has made batting look easy.' 'When you look at his footwork and the balance, it was pretty amazing.'
Virat Kohli came into the Centurion Test with only one proper net session on Christmas eve but India batting coach Vikram Rathour categorical said that at this stage of his career, the former captain doesn't need to train a lot.
Kagiso Rabada grabbed a five-wicket haul before K L Rahul rallied India to 208/8 on a rain-hit Day 1 of the first Test.
Rohit Sharma wants his team to be the first one from India to win a Test series in South Africa.
You need to be more creative in Cape Town as wickets are a lot more flatter and partnerships will stretch and that's traditionally as someone who knows it will be tougher Tests,' said South African legend Allan Donald.
India has never won a Test series in South Africa and the two Test series, which begins on Boxing Day, December 26, at the SuperSport Park cricket stadium in Centurion, is the last frontier to be overcome for Rohit and his contemporaries Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami.
'You have to move on quickly in international cricket as we now have another important series coming up'
KL Rahul has always been confident about keeping wickets in Tests
Musheer Khan smashed his second century of the ICC Under-19 World Cup as India thrashed New Zealand by 214 runs.
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Test played between India and England in Hyderabad, on Friday.
The batters could be in for some challenging times with the Supersport Park track expected to aid the fast bowlers as rain threat looms large over the opening Test between India and South Africa, curator Bryan Bloy said on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the opening Test played between Australia and Pakistan in Perth on Saturday.
Jasprit Bumrah took 6/61 as India crushed South Africa by seven wickets to level the two-match series 1-1.
Sanju Samson, elevated to No.3 spot, hit his maiden international century in the third and final ODI against South Africa.
They are scheduled to fly out to Johannesburg on Friday.
The defeat in the Centurion Test was India's fifth in a row in SENA countries under Head Coach Rahul Dravid.
A desperate India seek to restore parity against South Africa and remain consequential in the World Test Championship.
Kagiso Rabada is already in the pantheon of great South African fast bowlers, but if the Proteas play only a limited number of Tests a year, he can never surpass Dale Steyn's record of 439 wickets, reckoned Makhaya Ntini on Tuesday.
None of the Indian pacers made an impression on a surface where one needed to bend his back to get the extra bounce.
World No 1 India may feel they have never had a better chance of winning their first ever Test series in South Africa.
Kohli is a massive player, will play major role in Test series: Kallis
2023 has been the year of redemption for Virat Kohli, the stalwart Indian batter.
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