Indian captain Virat Kohli missed the ongoing second Test match against South Africa being played at the Wanderers Stadium, in Johannesburg. It was revealed that the skipper suffered from upper back spasm and instead KL Rahul walked out for toss as India captain.
KL Rahul was named the Test vice-captain after Rohit Sharma was ruled out of the series due to his hamstring injury. He will also captain the Indian team in the upcoming three ODIs against South Africa as well.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar, speaking to ESPNCricinfo, admitted that all kinds of thoughts went through his head when he came to know that Kohli was sitting out of the Johannesburg Test.
“I was absolutely shocked when I read that KL Rahul is walking out for the toss. All kinds of thoughts came over my mind. Various thoughts, but who would’ve thought that an injury to Virat Kohli because he’s one of those guys who never ever miss a Test match. And considering that India is in a great position to win and make history, it’s really unfortunate. It seems he’s really hurting. Shocking in many ways because it’s a surprise. And a batting setback as well despite his form.” Sanjay Manjrekar said in the preview session.
Manjrekar was delighted to see Rahul being rewarded for his performances in the Test format, just like Rohit Sharma was earlier.
“There’s something about Test match performances. You have Rohit Sharma who had a great Test series vs ENG. Immediately after that, he became a captaincy candidate. If not for his injury, he would’ve captained this match.
Test match performances really help the credibility of a player and KL Rahul’s performance in England and his 100 recently has contributed to his rise and stature in the team. Seen this with Rohit Sharma and now with KL Rahul. And this is all to do with the hard work that they put in, in England,” he added.
India managed to put just 202 runs on the board in their first innings with Rahul top-scoring with 50.
