india lost the second test to South Africa by 136 runs and the Indian skipper Virat Kohli a lot of goodwill. India resumed their second innings at 35 for 3. With the skipper Virat Kohli back in the pavilion, the writing was on the wall. Some very poor cricket led by Cheteshwar Pujara ( he was run out for the second time in the test match) saw India being bowled out for 151 and a 136 run defeat. This was reported by India.com news channel.
Press conference
The Press Conference at the end of the test was a fiery one and Kohli had a lot to answer about team selection and his belief that India was the best test cricket team in the world.
Incidentally, this was his first defeat in a test series since being appointed skipper of the Indian team, after MS Dhoni had abdicated his captainship, after a string of poor performances abroad. The conference post the test match degenerated into a mud-slinging match with the correspondents wanting to know the basis of the team selection for the crucial second test at the Centurion. India.com news has reported that Kohli lost his cool at the questions hurled against him and he could not justify the team selection.
Team selection
The Indian team had entered into the test by dropping Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar who had taken 6 wickets in the first test match. The omission of vice-captain Ajinkya Rehane from the test team was also questioned by the scribes.
It is not often that a Vice Captain is side-lined in a test series.
From all accounts, Kohli was in a combative mood as he pointed out that of 34 tests played under his captaincy, India had won 21. He was clear that he had selected the best team for the test. He asked the scribes what they thought was the best team and he will play that.
The Times of India has pointed out that Rahane is woefully out of form and the fault is not at the door of Virat Kohli but the selection committee which selected him as Vice-Captain. One wonders how a player who has not scored even a total of 100 runs over the last many tests and ODI’s was selected as Vice-Captain. Kohli was part of the selection process and he should have put his foot down instead of humiliating the Vice Captain by not playing him in any of the test matches.
Kohli picked Rohit Sharma in place of Rahane, and the Mumbai batsmen did hit 47 in India’s second innings, but it was not enough.
Lack of professional approach
India lost, not because of team selection but rank poor batting. Apart from Kohli who hit 153 in the first innings, a solid batsman like Pujara of who much was expected got himself run out in both the innings is a pointer to poor professionalism. In the first innings, Hardik Pandya failed to ground his bat and was run out. This is something which even a schoolboy cricketer will not do.
The test rubber is lost, but there is still one test to be played and then there are the T-20 and ODI matches. These can give the Indian team a chance to redeem itself. But they will have to bat better.
