Virat Kohli misses out on century, wins hearts

Virat Kohli’s 79 was no less than a masterclass as the skipper managed to lead India past the 200-mark vs South Africa in the first innings of the third Test match in Cape Town. 

Kohli, who  had missed the second Test due to a back injury, played some exquisite drives on both sides of the pitch during his 201-ball stay at the crease on Tuesday. The 33-year-old hit 12 boundaries and a six. 

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Playing in his 50th Test, Rabada dismissed the Indian skipper. The pacer got the ball move away off the seam as Kohli, despite a shuffle across, nicked it to wicketkeeper Verreynne.

Kagiso Rabada finished with impressive figures of 4/73, while Marco Jansen snared 3/55.

While, Kohli’s much-awaited 71st international century is still on hold, he managed to impress experts with his determined show at Newlands. Coming in when India were 33/3, the captain. 

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“It’s very special to see the greatest of talents and stroke makers dig in, play hard and find ways to survive long periods of time to achieve greatness,” Dinesh Karthik said. 

“Sometimes 79 has a lot more quality than a hundred. This was a top-top knock from a top player. Today Kohli hasn’t missed a century by 21 runs but scored valuable and high-quality 79 run,” former opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra tweeted. 

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“#Kohli deserved a ton after playing exceptionally well. 79 runs from 201 balls without hardly any support from the other end – this innings must rank among his best. #INDvsSA #SAvIND #ViratKohli #CricketTwitter,” former pacer RP Singh said. 

The India boss has been under scrutiny for his form off-late. He averaged 26.08 in 14 Tests since the start of 2020, well below his career mark of 50.34.