Indian captain Rohit Sharma rode his luck to score an unbeaten 17 off 22 deliveries in the second innings of the second Test in Cape Town. In the end he remained unbeaten as India won the second Test by seven wickets and tied the series against South Africa 1-1.
India needed 79 to win in the second innings, which they chased down in 12 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal quickly scored 28 off 23 deliveries. He opened with Rohit Sharma, who also hit two fours during his innings.
With India almost on the brink of victory, both Rohit and Virat Kohli started playing shots. With Kagiso Rabada bowling to Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain hit a shot straight in the air and Zorzi’s Tony prepared to catch it somewhere close to point. However, the ball slipped out of his hands as Rohit got life and Rabada screamed in disappointment.
Virat Kohli, who was watching it all unfold from the other end, was left in splits when Zorzi dropped a dolly. Both Rohit and Kohli had a good laugh when the Indian captain got a life. Kohli was unlucky to be cheated down the leg side before Shreyas Iyer hit the winning runs to win the match for India.
Watch: Virat Kohli laughs as Rohit Sharma gets a life
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It was a comfortable seven-wicket win in the end that helped India draw the test series against India. This is the first time since 2010-11 that India has not lost a Test series on South African soil. India lost the Test series in the 2018 and 2021 tours to the rainbow nation. Rohit Sharma thus achieved a small feat as Test captain in South Africa.
The Cape Town Test match ended in two days with 33 wickets falling in the span of time. India and South Africa were bowled out one each on Day 1 as they fell 23 wickets on the opening day. India were bowled out for 153 in reply to South Africa’s 55, their lowest Test score against India.
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Players from both sides played magnificently in Cape Town and Aiden Makram also scored a century. Despite that, the pitch came under a lot of criticism, especially after both teams were eliminated on the first day of the Test match.
In the post-match press conference, Rohit Sharma criticized the media and the ICC for rating the ODI World Cup final pitch below average. He said the pitch cannot be rated as below average if a batsman scored a century on the track, pointing to Travis Head’s winning knock in the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad.
“I don’t mind playing on courses like this, as long as everyone in India keeps their mouths shut and doesn’t complain about Indian courses. You come here to challenge yourself. And when people come to India, it is also a challenge,” Sharma said after the second Test match.
“I still can’t believe that the World Cup final was rated below average. A batsman got a hundred. How can it be a bad pitch?” he further added.
The Indian captain also lashed out at the ICC for its treatment of pitches in international cricket.
“I would love to see the referees of the list games prepare as they grade the pitches. We know that in India the ball is turning from day 1, you are not fine. When the ball clicks from day 1, you’ll be fine. That is not right,” Sharma concluded.
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