Virat Kohli Injury Update: The stand-in Indian captain talked about the regular captain’s injury in the post-match presentation ceremony.
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India stand-in Test captain Lokesh Rahul believes that South Africa deserved to win the second Test match in Johannesburg despite his team having a “good chance”.
Once play resumed after a two-session wash out due to rain, South Africa needed 122 runs to win the match with eight wickets in hands. Surely ahead in the game, the hosts lost a solitary wicket of Rassie van der Dussen (40) to score the required number of runs in just 27.4 overs.
“Every Test match we play, we want to win, we go out there and compete hard but South Africa played really well and deserved this victory,” Rahul told SuperSport during the post-match presentation ceremony. “We were looking to get on the field today, try and do something special, 122 to get, the pitch was playing up and down, we had a good chance, but their batters played really well.”
Rahul, who won the toss and chose to bat in his first international match as captain, pointed out how his batters should have scored more than 202 in the first innings.
“If I want to be harsh, the first innings total of 202 was at least 50-60 runs short. We should have scored more and put them under pressure,” Rahul said.
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Labeling him as “superb”, Rahul hailed all-rounder Shardul Thakur for picking career-best bowling figures of 17.5-3-61-7 in the first innings. Rahul, who himself scored a half-century on Day 1, spoke highly of other Indian half-centurions in senior batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
“Shardul [Thakur] has been superb for us. Has won us a lot of games. He bowled well in the first innings and gave us a chance today as well. They [Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane] have been great players for us. Have always done the job for us over the years.
“Have been under the pump recently but we believe Pujara and Rahane are our best middle-order players, to go out there, bat in that mindset and play such an innings. It’ll give them confidence and make them do even better in the next Test,” Rahul mentioned.
Rahul, who got an opportunity to lead due to regular captain Virat Kohli’s injury, was hopeful of him returning for the third Test beginning in Cape Town from January 11. “Virat [Kohli] is feeling better already, been in the nets the last couple of days fielding and running around and I think he should be fine,” Rahul added.
