Kagiso Rabada was at his destructive best taking a fiftieth on the first day of the test. Rabada’s first victim was Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The first Test between India and South Africa began on December 26 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. South Africa won the toss and opted to play on a green court with a lot of help from the players. Rohit Sharma He got out after scoring just five runs, taking an easy catch at deep fine leg while attempting the pull shot.
Rohit Sharma has a terrible record in South Africa in Tests. He has scored only 128 runs in five Test matches without even a fifty. He has an average of 14.22 in Tests on South African soil. He is considered one of the best ball shooters but from time to time he comes out the same way. Rohit’s favorite shot has been his weakness on quite a few occasions.
Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour backed Rohit Sharma after he failed in the first innings. Vikram considers the drag shot to be Rohit Sharma’s shot and sometimes he gets it and sometimes he doesn’t. He stated that the team management supports Rohit Sharma and his playing style. Rohit Sharma has been dismissed by Kagiso Rabada six times in Test cricket. Only Nathan Lyon has fired him more times (9 times).
Indian batting coach Vikram Rathour said: “The pull shot is the shot on which Rohit has scored a lot of runs, he believes; This is his shot, some days it will come out, other days it won’t; another day, he will score a six and we have heard people say he is the best shooter, we are fine, the management backs him.”
The Indian batting coach said: “The pull shot is the shot on which Rohit has scored a lot of runs, he believes; this is his shot, some days it will come out, some days it won’t; another day, he will score a six and we have heard people say he is the best shooter, we are fine, the management is supporting… pic.twitter.com/jxcO3FfUd3
—Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 26, 2023
Rohit Sharma’s dismissal caused major orders to collapse
After Rohit Sharma was dismissed for five, Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 17 followed by Shubman Gill with just two. India were 24/3 when Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer teamed up, forming an 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Shreyas Iyer departed just after lunch for 31 followed by Kohli for 38. India finished the day on 208/8 with KL Rahul standing at 70 next to Mohammed Siraj.
India have never won a Test series in South Africa and have a good chance of winning their first one under Rohit Sharma’s leadership. The South African team lacks the experience and ability of the past and India can take advantage of that and win the two-match series. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will share the new ball for India and will hope to take some early wickets when South Africa comes into bat.
The first day was affected by rain and around 21 stages were lost due to rain. However, India will look to make the most of the second day in terms of batting. With just two wickets in hand, if India crosses the 250-run mark, it will be a big relief for Rohit Sharma and company to come out and bowl.
