IND vs SA: Virat Kohli Doesn't Need Practice; KL Rahul Is Crisis Man - Vikram Rathour

India batting coach Vikram Rathour heaped rich praise on Virat Kohli after his vital knock in the first Test against South Africa. He said that the senior batter is at the stage of his career where he doesn’t need a lot of practice.

India and South Africa kickstarted the two-match Test series in Centurion on 26th December. The Day 1 was dominated by the Proteas, who won the toss and opted to field first. They bowled sensationally well and took 8 wickets with just over 200 runs.

India were left reeling at 24/3 and it was Virat Kohli who bailed them out of the trouble. Although the senior batter didn’t score big but his innings at that time were very crucial in the context of the game as they brought the side back in the game after early blows.

Virat Kohli, who missed the practice game, didn’t look nervous at all despite wickets falling at the other end. He batted sensibly and showed great discipline to balls outside off. He looked settled right from the time he arrived and played some great shots.

Virat Kohli scored 38 runs off 64 balls with the help of five boundaries. His innings came under pressure and he made sure that he took the team past 100 runs, which at one moment didn’t look possible.

Batting coach Vikram Rathour said that with the way Virat Kohli batted on Day 1, it didn’t seem that he was away from Test cricket. He said that the right-hander put in hard yards ahead of the game. Speaking to reporters, he explained:

“The stage of his career Virat (Kohli) is, I don’t think he needs a lot of practice. He bats a lot and trains a lot. So, if he practiced a few days less, doesn’t matter much. We saw, how well he was playing. It didn’t seem he was away from red ball cricket for six months. It’s a good sign.”

IND vs SA: Rahul is turning out to be man of crisis for us – Vikram Rathour

Vikram Rathour further credited KL Rahul for the stupendous innings that he played on Day 1 of the innings. He said that whenever there are tough situations, the keeper-batter has bailed them out of trouble.

Vikram Rathour believes that KL Rahul was in the right frame of mind and highlighted how well the batter defended and attacked. He explained:

“Rahul is turning out to be man of crisis for us. Every time, there are tough situations, he is the guy who handles it well for us. Nothing special, he was clear with his game plans, defended the right balls, attacked the right ones.”

KL Rahul yet again proved out to be the man for the team in tough situations. After India lost Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer (31) in quick succession, it seemed that they would falter. But it was Rahul who stood tall and held the fort.

KL Rahul played positively and defended the balls well. He also attacked the bad balls and made sure that India got runs quickly, which was the need of an hour. The keeper-batter played some breathtaking shots and took an attack on the opposition.

KL Rahul slammed a magnificent half-century. He ended with the knock of an unbeaten 70 runs at the stumps on Day 1. India ended on 208/8 and the batter would be hoping to get triple figures on Day 2 and take the team to a big total.