"On Boxing Day, India's biggest punch was when Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first" - Former Indian cricketer Saba Karim
Former Indian wicketkeeper Saba Karim has hailed Virat Kohli's decision to opt to bat first on a bouncy Centurion pitch in the first Test against South Africa. According to the 54-year old, this was India's biggest 'punch' on the Boxing Day.
Amidst the overcast conditions, India made a relatively brave decision to bat first. The two Indian openers, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, provided their side with more than a steady start. The duo weathered the initial storm of South African pacers and piled up 117 runs for the first wicket.
Reviewing day one of the first test, Karim mentioned that the visiting team generally play with a conservative approach in South Africa. However, that wasn't the case with India.
His remarks came on a YouTube show 'Khelneeti'. While commending India's decision to bat first, Karim said:
''I think on Boxing Day India's biggest punch was when Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. It has great importance. Many a time, teams who travel to South Africa play with a conservative approach in the first test. However, India, this time, made a huge call by electing to bat first. This clearly shows how confident they are about their batting, especially the openers. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal proved the decision correct."
A ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐ง in ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐! ๐ฅ
Drop a ๐ฏ below to celebrate #KLRahul's glorious knock!
#FirstKaThirst #BelieveInBlue #FreedomSeries #SAvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/7IZVSrGiU7
"Put a price tag on your wicket" - Ayaz Menon explains what Rahul Dravid would've advised to the Indian batters
Apart from Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dismissed on the very first ball, every Indian batter got his eye in and made a decent contribution for the side. However, Indian skipper Virat Kohli, after getting an upright start (35 runs), threw his wicket away chasing a delivery way outside off stump.
Cricket expert Ayaz Memon, who was also part of the conversation, explained that newly-appointed Indian head coach Rahul Dravid would've guided Indian batters not to throw their wickets freely. The 66-year old said:
"The biggest advice Rahul Dravid would've given to all the batters was to put a price tag on your wicket. Just don't give your wicket freely. If a team loses a wicket in the first hour, then they can easily see themselves 3-4 down inside the first session. However, if the openers play well gives a steady start, then the middle-order automatically blooms. And this is what we saw yesterday."
The renowned sports journalist also heaped praise on the 'discipline' shown by Indian openers Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul. Ayaz Memon said:
"Discipline is really important. And Mayank and Rahul did that beautifully. Which delivery to attack and which delivery to leave. Now if India bat for two more sessions, they might score 450+. And from there, it would be extremely difficult for India to lose the Test."
Car conversations with 'Centurion' @klrahul11 ๐ ๐ฃ๏ธ
From emotions on scoring ton ๐ฏ to forming partnerships ๐ค๐ค & batting mindset ๐.
The #TeamIndia opener discusses it all after Day 1 of the 1st #SAvIND Test. ๐ - By @28anand
Full interview ๐ฅ ๐ฝ
bit.ly/32q1ttL https://t.co/Y0ONWu5vQ3
Following stumps on day one on Sunday, the tourists' score read - 272/3. With centurion KL Rahul still unbeaten on 122* alongside well-set Ajinkya Rahane (40*), India will look to put up a massive first innings total at the SuperSport Arena.