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Cricket Players'He looked so motivated': Ex-SA pacer says Virat Kohli must be 'pretty frustrated' after looking in 'such good touch'
Batting on 35 in the Test series opener at SuperSport Park, Centurion, the India skipper poked a delivery pitched well outside the off-stump.
He was looking "motivated" against South Africa on Sunday but a poor shot extended Virat Kohli's wait for the 71st international century, said former pacer Shaun Pollock on the Indian Test skipper's batting antics in the Boxing Day Test. Batting on 35 in the series opener at SuperSport Park, Centurion, the India skipper poked a delivery pitched well outside the off-stump as pacer Lungi Ndigi picked up his third wicket of the day.
Looking at Kohli's time at the crease, Pollock said it looked like the 33-year-old was en route to a "big" score. KL Rahul (122* off 248), alongside opener partner Mayank Agarwal (60), set up a strong platform for India with a 117-run stand. Cheteshwar Pujara departed for a golden duck before Kohli stepped in and forged an 82-run partnership with Rahul. The 33-year-old Kohli, however, fell to a loose shot against Lungi Ndigi, continuing the recent trend of throwing his wicket away after getting off to a decent start.
"Looking at his dismissal, he's got to be really, really disappointed. He looked in such good touch; he looked so motivated; his feet were moving nicely. And he was getting in really strong positions.
"To have chased that delivery on 35, almost when he was in set and looked like he was going to get a big score, I think he must be sitting at the hotel pretty frustrated at the fact that he got out in that fashion," Pollock told Cricbuzz after the opening day's play.
India ended the opening day at 272 for 3 with Rahul remaining not out on 122. Ajinkya Rahane, who retained his place in the Playing XI despite recent struggles, was at the other end batting on 40. Wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik backed the senior batter's inclusion for the series opener, underlining the need for "experience" in the visiting camp.
Questions were raised over Rahane's presence in the Playing XI, given the fact that the Indian team has got names like Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari in the wings. The 33-year-old Rahane has been going through a lean patch this year with his batting average dipping below 20.
"When you are going with six batters, I think they wanted to rely on experience because that's what Ajinkya Rahane brings to the table. I love the intent with which he bats. You've got to understand when you cross 30, there's a lot of pressure as a batter; the whole country is probably speaking that you shouldn't play.
"But for him to come and play with the intent he's played, credit to Dravid and Kohli for backing him. Is it a bit unfair to Shreyas and Hanuma Vihari? Maybe, but that's always the case when you have a strong team; you will leave out somebody who's going to be disappointed," said the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) skipper.
"...But I am happy for Rahane because he needs the runs. What I am even more happy about is the intent he showed. He was ready to play the shots that he was good at; he wasn't meek at any point. and I liked that."
