Team India suffered a massive defeat in the first test against South Africa in Centurion. The hosts thrashed India by an inning and 32 runs to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series. The Indian team didn’t even compete and surrendered themselves.
There were a number of areas that India lacked in the first game that ended up being the reasons behind this horrible defeat. With this, India also slipped to fifth place in the ongoing World Test Championship from the top position before the start of the Boxing Day Test.
Trailing by 163 runs at the start of India’s second inning, the visitors suffered a blow when captain Rohit Sharma got out for a duck. That opened the floodgates, and India kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Virat Kohli stood alone and scored 76 off 82 balls, with 12 fours and one six.
The visitors were bundled out for 131 runs in 34.1 overs. The batters that did well during the intrasquad games failed badly. They opted to play intrasquad games despite choosing to play a first-clash game ahead of the series. In the post-match presentation, Rohit Sharma revealed why India didn’t play a FC practice game.
A complete performance from the fast bowlers helps the hosts go 1-0 up in the #SAvIND Test series 🎉#WTC25 📝: https://t.co/Rma4l5S0RO pic.twitter.com/BggeNhDkSp
— ICC (@ICC) December 28, 2023
He said that teams don’t get the same pitch during the game that they get for practice amtches. Hence, we decided to play according to our strengths and potential. The Indian captain also highlighted that when they came for the 2018 tour and played the practice game, the ball was not bouncing to knee height, but during the test matches, it was bouncing way up.
Rohit Sharma said, “The wicket that you get in the matches, you won’t get that in the practice matches. It is better that we prepare according to our requirements. If you get the conditions in a practice match that are similar to the ones in the tests, then it’s fine. Also, we get pacers who bowl 120–125 kph. It’s better we face our own bowlers.”
The defeat in the first test has certainly shaken India’s position on the WTC table. They will now have to win the second test. The upcoming test will take place in Cape Town starting on January 3. Ravindra is expected to be back, while Avesh Khan has been added to the squad as Mohammed Shami’s replacement.
