The mission to defeat South Africa on its soil remains what it was before the Test series… an unfulfilled dream.
The anguish of it was writ large on skipper Virat Kohli’s visage after the game at Centurion. He had been desperate for this overseas series triumph and his disappointment was palpable.
Kohli had been animated on the field of play when things did not go his team’s way. And after suffering the first Test series setback of his career, something in him snapped.
Bad taste
When the tough barrage of questions arrived at the press conference, an angry Kohli fumed. Words were exchanged and it left a bad taste all around.
It is never easy to lead the Indian team and the pressures of captaincy are beginning to tell on Kohli.
He is carrying a lot of load — too much hinges on him as a batsman — and then, when his team fails to nail the key moments in the game with some sloppy cricket, he starts reacting.
And the problem is accentuated when the media seeks answers. Kohli believes he is being targeted unfairly, and he shoots back.
Calmness pays
In the long run, Kohli will realise that calmness pays. On the field, you can be aggressive and full of intent without crossing the line but off it, a skipper needs to retain his equanimity.
Otherwise, the captain will be making things harder for himself.
His volatile behaviour at media sessions will be seen as a sign of weakness and he will come under even more pressure the next time he walks in.
Kohli, almost single-handedly, kept India in the second Test with his wonderful 153. He plays his cricket with so much passion that it is hard not to admire his commitment. He gives it his all; in his fitness training, at the nets, in the manner he fields, the way he runs between wickets and in how he constructs an innings.
But as India looks at other looming overseas Test campaigns, he will have to avoid those temperamental flare-ups on and off the field.
India’s failure in South Africa essentially boils down to poor batting. The bowlers, save the runs given away to the South African tail on day one at Newlands, have largely done their job.
But the batting has been exposed when up against high-quality pacemen. Footwork is a key element of batsmanship and the Indian batsmen have been caught out at the crease, been dismissed playing across or away from the body.
And the number of soft dismissals in the second Test was shocking. Batsmen, chasing deliveries outside off with minimal use of the feet, were giving their wickets away without a fight.
And those who get a start have to kick on. M. Vijay had done all the hard work to set himself up for a big score in the first innings but then fell to a loose shot against left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj. These are the moments when games change course.
And Cheteshwar Pujara’s running between the wickets was a one-way ticket to disaster. R. Ashwin bowled capably on a track reminiscent of a sub-continental pitch at Centurion and batted well in the first innings, but would not be pleased with the ‘nothing’ shot he got out to in the second innings.
And Hardik Pandya needs to tighten up his cricket. He can whip up moments of brilliance but can also be terribly casual.
In Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Morne Morkel, the visitors were up against a bunch of fast bowlers with speed, bounce and control which could create stress and dent the line-up even on a surface similar to those in India.
Collectively, the Indians came up short.
