Kohli sets a good example in 3rd Test between India vs South Africa
Kohli sets a good example bowls one of his most patient knocks, but India is dismissed for a modest 223 on Day 1 of the series decider against South Africa.
The last man to dismiss Kohli sets a good example in Test cricket was Marco Jansen, a tall young South African pacer. Who got the Indian captain edging an attempted cover drive in the second innings at Centurion. It was also the 10th time in ten overseas Tests that Kohli had gone nicking to either the wicketkeeper or first slip.
Before the series finale in Cape Town, there was understandable speculation about whether Kohli should altogether avoid the drive. Or at least avoid it until he had worked his way back with runs there was no pandemic the last time Kohli made an international century in November 2019).
On Tuesday, Kohli was on zero when he leaned into his favorite stroke and sent the ball to the cover rope at Newlands. Marco Jansen is the bowler. Given how Kohli has operated over the years, it should be no surprise that he did this on purpose. The same shot, the same bowler, and a vastly different outcome than Centurion.
Even if he didn’t do it on purpose, the message “I’ll do it my way is hard to miss.
Of course, Kohli would not stop there. The first 4 of his 12 fours would be or cover or off-drives, with both cover drives coming off left-armer Jansen. As a result, the captain would be the ninth man out for 79, his highest Test score since his last international century. In an ultimately underwhelming Indian total of 223. The hosts finished the day at 17/1, with Dean Elgar already our skipper.
On Tuesday, Kohli was not only a great judge of line. But he also reacted to different lengths in different ways. Crivitz left three times as many short or short of good length balls as he did fuller ones.
Kohli had come ready to play the waiting game, and nothing could make him change his mind. He and Cheteshwar Pujara had each faced 73 balls at one point. Pujara had raced to 39 points, while Kohli was on 16.
