Rohit Sharma made his much-awaited return to action in the recently concluded first Test between India and South Africa at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. The Indian captain had not played a competitive match since the heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup final last month.
The comeback, however, did not go as he would have liked, as South Africa inflicted a humiliating defeat on his team. When asked to bat first, India were out for just 245 runs in the first innings despite a century from KL Rahul. At one stage, India were reeling at 121 for 6, but Rahul’s century helped them post a total of over 200.
The bowlers also failed to make a mark as South Africa posted a massive total of 408 runs to take a huge lead of 163 runs. Opener Dean Elgar led the charge with the bat, scoring 185, while debutant David Bedingham (56) and Marco Jansen (84*) also played crucial knocks. For India, Jasprit Bumrah took four wickets, while Mohammed Siraj accounted for two.
Rohit Sharma on defeat:
India’s performance with the bat in the second innings was also dismal as they were bowled out for just 131 runs in 35 overs. Virat Kohli (76) and Shubman Gill (26) were the only Indian batsmen to reach double figures. For South Africa, Nandre Burger got 4 wickets while Jansen got 3 as the hosts won the Test in three days.
After the defeat, Rohit Sharma was asked if the Test loss was similar to the heartbreaking loss in the World Cup final last month. In response, the right-handed batsman said:
“I can’t compare the World Cup with the Test series. Obviously, winning the Test series here would be fantastic and will be an extraordinary feat for us. But the World Cup is the World Cup, in my books, the two are separate: a loss is a loss.
“Losses are quite disappointing, whether it is a defeat in the World Cup or a defeat like that, but the weight that both tournaments have is quite different. That’s why it’s very difficult for me to compare the defeat in the World Cup with this. If you try to move forward, you have a chance in Cape Town, where if we harness our potential we can change things,” added Rohit Sharma.
The defeat in the first Test also ended India’s hopes of winning its first Test series in South Africa. Now they will look to recover and win the second test to avoid losing the series. The second and final test of the series is scheduled for January 3.
