Indian batsman Virat Kohli was the team’s only warrior in the first Test against South Africa. The first match of the series took place at Centurion’s Supersport Park and was a forgettable outing for the visitors.
India lost wickets in quick succession in the second innings and it was a torrid outing for the team. After South Africa In total, scoring 408 runs, as against 245 for the visitors, something special was expected from Rohit’s army.
But that was not the case. Even though all the wickets fell at the other end, Virat Kohli kept hopes alive for his team. He played a wonderful innings in difficult conditions and kept fighting hard but did not get the desired support.
Virat Kohli tried too hard at the end and ended up getting out, which was also the last Indian wicket to fall. He died to Marco Jansen while trying to take him on and make some quick runs.
Marco Jansen bowled a straight delivery from behind which Virat Kohli came out on. He clipped it over the bowler’s head and it looked like the ball would land safely, but Kagiso Rabada did something exceptional in the field.
Kagiso Rabada ran from distance and made a big jump to his left. He flew like Superman to pull one out of nowhere. By the way, Virat Kohli was batting, it took something special to get rid of him and the pacer did exactly that.
Here is the video:
– Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka (@Hanji_CricDekho) December 28, 2023
Virat Kohli finished with 76 runs off 82 balls. He hit 12 fours and 1 six in his innings to keep his team’s hope alive. But he could not take his team beyond South Africa’s total. If he had received support from others, the story might have been different.
IND vs SA: Virat Kohli becomes first batsman to cross 2000 runs in seven different calendar years
Virat Kohli with his 76-run knock in the second innings of the first-ever Test. He became the first batsman to cross 2000 runs in seven different calendar years. He achieved the feat after crossing 2000 runs in 2023 with his brave half-century.
Virat Kohli with the feat broke Kumar Sangakkar’s record. The former Sri Lanka captain achieved this feat six times during his career.
Players with more than 2,000 international careers in a calendar year
• Virat Kohli – 7 times
• Kumar Sangakkara – 6 times
• Mahela Jayawardene – 5 times
• Sachin Tendulkar – 5 times
• Jacques Kallis – 4 times
The Indian batsman also surpassed New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell to become the second-highest run-getter in 2023. Virat Kohli has only Shubman Gill ahead of him. The young batsman finished the year with 2154 runs to his name.
Virat ended the year on a high, averaging over 65. He had a sensational outing in the ICC World Cup 2023. The batsman finished the tournament as the leading run-getter with over 700 runs to his name, which is the highest amount. in any edition of the tournament. He also broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for most ODI centuries and now has 50 tons to his name.
