Cricket
Can India comeback?
Updated : Jan 16, 2018, 11:36 PM IST
Is Virat Kohli the new Sachin Tendulkar? There is no easy answer to this question, as hardcore Sachin fans will counter overwhelming stats with the point that he played against much better bowling sides. However like 90s India, Kohli's team also increasingly looks listless when the captain gets out.
And with newcomer Ngidi getting rid of the centurion from first innings with a ball which kept slightly low, Twitter had given its verdict on Tuesday. That it is end of the road for India, even though Pujara is still in the middle and Rohit, Pandya, Ashwin are yet to come. But Mohd Kaif, Harsha Bhogle joined others with the premonition of an impending Indian defeat. India needs 252 runs on Day 5 with 7 wickets in hand. Can the rest of the batting line-up stand up and be counted? We will know soon. But here's how Twitter reacted after Kohli's dismissal.
Unfortunately it's all over. Kohli gone, India gone .
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) January 16, 2018
Kohli falls to beast of a delivery, India's heart is ripped out, run chase looks academic from here...
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 16, 2018
Virat Kohli has made more runs (191) so far in the series than Vijay, Dhawan, Rahul, Pujara and Rohit put together (186). Highlights how badly India's top order has let the team down
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) January 16, 2018
Kohli walking back to the dressing room felt like injured Zaheer Khan walking back in England in 2011. Not just a man but India's hopes was walking back #SAvsIND
— Cricket bakchod (@AllTimeBakchod) January 16, 2018
My call: South Africa to win by 150 or more. Rohit less than 10. Hope I am wrong #SAvsIND
— Anuj Singhal (@_anujsinghal) January 16, 2018
There goes this series......
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) January 16, 2018
Being the number one Test team in the world doesn't mean anything now. Whichever team plays more Tests at home and wins, becomes number 1. Basically, it's a scheduling thing.
— Vivek (@kaul_vivek) January 16, 2018
Btw ... I give India around a 5% chance of chasing this score down ... #Justsaying #SAvIND ... If that ....
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) January 16, 2018
Hey. Maybe Parthiv came in because Rohit has nipped back to the hotel to wear his blue jersey inside the white jersey. Big innings coming up from him.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) January 16, 2018
What’s the weather forecast for tomorrow? #SAvIND
— Gaurav Kalra (@gauravkalra75) January 16, 2018
Even if you give a crate of beer to the Indian cricket team, they will not be able to drink it.
— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) January 16, 2018
Why?
Because they keep losing their openers.
South Africa coach urges them to go for kill:
South Africa coach Ottis Gibson has urged his side to keep their "game faces" on ahead of day five as they close in on a series victory over top-ranked India in the second test in Pretoria.South Africa set the tourists 287 to win before reducing India to 35 for three at the close on Tuesday, with the huge wicket of in-form Virat Kohli in the bag.
“We are in a good position in the game, it’s been four days of grinding test cricket, so to be a little bit in the ascendancy is a good place to be,” Gibson told SuperSport. “It’s not finished yet, we have to make sure that when we wake up tomorrow morning we have still got our game faces on.” The South African camp have made it known they are unhappy with the uncharacteristic pitch at Centurion Park, having hoped for a seaming wicket to assist their powerful pace attack.
Instead they have a pitch that looks more Pune than Pretoria, though the variable bounce is something their fast bowlers have been able to exploit. “You want a certain type of wicket when you play at home and when you don’t get it you still have to perform. The guys have worked hard, they have toiled a little bit when they have had to,” Gibson said.
With agency inputs