3 positives for Team India from their disappointing loss in 1st Test vs South Africa
South Africa didn't need to break a sweat during the first Test against India in Centurion. They lost captain Temba Bavuma to injury, one of their premier pacers in Lungi Ngidi was ruled out, and they had to play two debutants in David Bedingham and Nandre Burger.
But the Proteas weathered all those storms with ease to thump India by an innings and 32 runs, taking an unassailable 1-0 lead in the two-match series. Dean Elgar stole the show with a sensational century, while Kagiso Rabada ran riot at one of his favorite hunting grounds.
It's back to the drawing board for Rohit Sharma and Co., who suffered their first defeat of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle and squandered another chance to win their maiden Test series in the Rainbow Nation. There are a couple of things they can look back on with happiness, though.
Here are three positives for Team India from their disappointing loss in the first Test against South Africa.
#3 Jasprit Bumrah's return to Test cricket went perfectly
Before the first Test against South Africa, Jasprit Bumrah had last played a red-ball game for India back in July 2022. He spent nearly a year on the sidelines owing to a long-standing back issue before returning to action ahead of the 2023 World Cup.
Returning to the Test fold after a considerable while, all eyes were on how Bumrah would fare. He bowled more than 26 overs without any problems and bowled at a decent clip throughout. While Rohit was conservative in the way he used the spearhead, it was positive that there were no fitness concerns.
Bumrah was also in excellent bowling form, picking up four wickets and continuing to be the team's biggest threat. What would India do without him?
#2 KL Rahul shone in his first Test as wicket-keeper
The last time India were in South Africa, Rishabh Pant starred with the bat in testing conditions. The visitors didn't have the maverick left-hander in their ranks this time, meaning that the gloves fell to KL Rahul for the first time in his Test career.
Rahul also had to get reaccustomed to a middle-order role as he batted at No. 6. He came out with flying colors on both counts, making a splendid century in the first innings before being mostly tidy with his glovework.
Rahul has shown a tendency to come up with excellent knocks overseas, and his Centurion epic was one of his best. India will hope that he can continue in the same vein, both behind the stumps and in front of them, until Pant returns.
#1 Virat Kohli looked the best he has in a while to end the year on a high
Over the course of the three calendar years from 2020 to 2022, Virat Kohli was far from his best. He averaged 19.33, 28.21 and 26.5 respectively, with four ducks and no centuries.
With 2023 came a welcome upturn in fortunes. Kohli's final Test of the calendar year went well too - he ended on a high with scores of 38 and 76 in extremely testing conditions. On the whole, the superstar batter averaged 55.92 and notched up two tons.
India are going through a tough period of transition, and one of their biggest positives right now is the fact that Kohli's back to his best. The former skipper was assured in the middle in Centurion, and his team will hope that he is far from done in red-ball cricket.