Kohli can return in the next Test: Rahul

 

Cricket News

Dated: 07/01/2022

India broke Centurion's fort in the first Test. South Africa smashed India at Johannesburg in the second Test. South Africa leveled the series by winning the match courtesy of Dean Elgar's fierce batting. But before the third Test in Cape Town, the only hope for India is that Virat Kohli can lead again. "He is much healthier," Rahul said that after the match on Thursday.

After the match, Rahul said, "Virat is already in a good place. A little bit of fielding has also started. He started running. No problem. Physically it is in a much better place. Hopefully, it will be all right before the next test. However, there is little concern about Siraj's injury. We have to see him first in practice. It is a little difficult to recover immediately after a hamstring injury. However, the strength of our bench is much better.”

Although he got the responsibility as the interim coach, Rahul did not have a good start. India lost for the first time in Johannesburg. Where did South Africa make the difference? Rahul thinks they scored at least 60-70 runs less. "I am determined to win every Test match," he said. Needless to say, South Africa played well in this Test. They have won as a worthy team. 122 runs were needed. The ball was falling on the pitch and was moving lightly. We had the opportunity. But their batsmen did not give any chance. We scored 202 in the first innings. But we should have scored more than 70-80 runs. That would put them under pressure. But defeat always makes us aggressive. We will come back stronger in the next Test surely. "

Shardul Tagore was successful in the first innings with 6 wickets in hand. Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane batted well in the second innings. The praise of all three was heard on Rahul's face. "Shardul has bowled well many times before. He also played well with the bat. He made the start in this innings too. And there is nothing different about Rahane-Pujara. Playing for the good of the team year after year. In my opinion, they are the best middle-order batsmen in this team. "

Source: ESPN Cricinfo