Fuming Virat Kohli unhappy with playing conditions; complains to the match referee
Right after the umpires stopped play due to bad light 5.1 overs following the resumption in the third session of day three of the second Test at the Supersport Park in Centurion, the South African batsmen happily walked back to the dressing room.
While a majority of the Indian players were happy to sit in the dugout hoping for the play to resume soon, a fuming Virat Kohli was seen walking straight to the match referee Chris Broad and complaining about something that was bothering the Indian team in the brief passage of play.
Soon after, he was joined by team manager Sunil Subramaniam and coach Ravi Shastri and the Indian skipper had a brief argument with the former English international.
It has been revealed that Kohli was not happy with the conditions when the play started and when the players were asked to go off the field. When the play resumed after a one-hour rain break, the ball picked up moisture whenever it went to the outfield, making it difficult for the pacers to reverse the ball. Adding to this, off-spinner Ashwin, who looked threatening in the second session, was struggling to grip the wet ball.
When conditions became easier for the bowlers - they started to move the cherry around - the umpires stopped play for bad light. India bowled just 5.1 overs after the resumption and the hosts managed to score 22 runs in that period with de Villiers reaching his fifty.
India had a chance to break the partnership but wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel failed to go for the catch (it was clearly his catch) with the ball flying in between him and the first slip fielder, Pujara, who was standing a bit wide.
South Africa were batting at 90/2 in the second innings, 118 runs ahead of India, when the play was stopped.