Indian cricket team
SA v IND, 3rd Test: If we bowl in the right areas then we can restrict them, says Pujara
He added that India could have made 30-40 more runs in the first innings and reckoned 275 to be a good total on the pitch at Newlands Cricket Ground. "We definitely should have scored 30-40 runs but we are confident in our bowling line-up. If we bowl in the right areas then we can restrict them. I think 275 is a good total on this pitch," said Pujara in a chat with broadcasters before the start of day two.
3rd Test, Day 1: South Africa 17/1 at stumps, trail India by 206 runs
Aiden Markram (8 not out) and Keshav Maharaj (6 not out) were at the crease when stumps were called, ending an engrossing opening day at Newlands. The hosts lost the only wicket of their skipper Dean Elgar, who was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah for 3. Earlier, India were bowled out for 223 in their first innings. Virat Kohli (79) and Cheteshwar Pujara (43) were the top scorers for the visitors.
3rd Test: India win toss, opt to bat against South Africa
Kohli, who missed the second Test due to back spasm, returned to lead India, who made two changes in their playing XI for this game. While Virat replaced Hanuma Vihari, Umesh Yadav came in place of injured Md Siraj. "You cannot control what's above your head. Runs on this venue have always worked out well at this venue. I am fit and fine. I come in for Vihari. Siraj missed out because of a niggle and Umesh comes in for him. Umesh has been very potent with the ball recently, very handy in the field and with the bat as well," the India skipper said at the toss.
SA v IND: We all look back at that phase very fondly, says Kohli on India's pace turnaround
Virat Kohli, under whom the pace-bowling revolution in India's Test fortunes began, explained in detail how the evolution began. "We all look back at that phase very fondly. It's hard to believe when I look back at the screenshots of the time that I became the Test captain, we were number seven in the world. I mean, to be fair, we can't even relate to that reality anymore because we've been number one for 4-5 years in a row now."
SA v IND: I truly believe I don't need to prove myself to anyone, says Kohli on his form
"It is not the first time. Let's not get away from reality, it has happened a few times in my career. England in 2014 was one of those phases. The thing is I don't look at myself from the lens that the outside world looks at me. The standards I have been compared with have been set by myself. So, they are not an occurrence from outside. More than anyone else I take a lot of pride in wanting to do the best thing and performing regularly for the team," said Kohli in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
SA v IND: Why India lost the Johannesburg Test
"I don't want to be harsh but I think batters should have scored more in the first innings after winning the toss." Stand-in captain KL Rahul's words in the post-match presentation ceremony summed up one of the biggest reasons where India faltered in Johannesburg. In the first Test, India had the cushion of a 117-run opening stand between KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to post 327 despite the middle order not coming to the party. But in the second Test, Rahul, Agarwal, Pujara and Rahane fell quickly, reducing India to 91/4 at one stage.
SA v IND, 2nd Test: Dean Elgar spearheads South Africa's series-levelling win over India
After rain washed out on-field action of the first two sessions, rain gods relented for 34 overs of play to happen. That was enough for Elgar, unbeaten on 96, to finish off the chase of 240, which is also South Africa's highest successful chase at this venue. South Africa's batters batted fantastically and stitched partnerships on a tricky pitch as India's bowlers had a rare off-day with the ball.
India name squad for Women's World Cup and NZ ODIs, Jemimah, Shikha, Punam left out
Mithali Raj will lead the same 15-member squad in the five ODIs against New Zealand from February 11 and 24, before opening their World Cup campaign against Pakistan on March 6 at the Bay Oval, Tauranga. The 21-year-old Rodrigues went through a lean patch in all the five ODIs she played since coming back from the pandemic-enforced break in women's cricket. She managed scores of 1, 9, 0, 8 and 4 in home fixtures against South Africa and a couple of away games in England.
SA v IND, 2nd Test: It was one of those days where everything was going as per my plan, says Pujara
He added that his partnership of 111 runs with Ajinkya Rahane was crucial for the team to get some runs on board. Pujara was the second top-run scorer in India's second innings score of 266, which helped set a target of 240 for South Africa. "Looking at the pitch, it has variable bounce and it's not easy. Whenever you get a loose ball, you want to make sure that you put it away because you never know when you will get an unplayable ball. So, yes, it was part of my gameplan that if I get a loose ball, I will go to try and convert it."
IND vs SA, 2nd Test: Shardul registers best bowling figures for India against South Africa
The spectacular bowling figures of 7/61 by Shardul are now the best by an Indian bowler against South Africa in cricket's longest format. He broke Ravichandran Ashwin's record of 7/66, which the off-spinner had claimed in Nagpur in 2015. Another spinner Harbhajan Singh, who recently retired from all forms of cricket, held the record for the best figures by an Indian in South Africa when he took 7/120 in Cape Town in 2011.
Advertisement