CRICKET
Ishant Sharma reveals that Kohli-Pandya partnership will be key to India's fate.
India were in a spot of bother at the close of play today but pacer Ishant Sharma feels the visitors have the chance to take the ongoing second cricket Test away from South Africa if Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya build up a good partnership tomorrow.
Skipper Kohli scored a valiant 85 to keep the visitors afloat by finishing the day at 183 for five in reply to South Africa's 335 all out in their first innings. Kohli held together India's innings with a classy unbeaten knock which came off 130 balls and was studded with eight boundaries. Hardik Pandya (11 not out) was giving Kohli company at the crease. The duo added 19 runs for the unbeaten sixth wicket.
The visitors, who are down 0-1 in the three-match series, still trail South Africa by another 152 runs.
"I think it's pretty important partnership, obviously, because the way Virat is playing it is totally a different game. If Hardik gets going he can take the game away from the opposition. After tea yesterday, the run out from him was a game changer for us. He backs his strength totally and I am hopeful they will take the game away from South Africa," Ishant said. "The balance is there currently. If Virat and Hardik have a good partnership then tomorrow's morning session is going to very important for us. And it is vital how we play tomorrow. That is very important for us," he added.
The senior pacer took returned with figures of 3 for 46 on his return to the playing eleven. Ishant later revealed that he was in line to play the first Test but didn't take the field in Cape Town owing to illness. "Actually I cannot blame anyone for this. I was supposed to play the first Test but I fell ill as soon as we reached here. I wasn't fully recovered from fever so I didn't play the first game. "I am the senior fast bowler of this team so I have to take responsibility. If I am ready to take those important wickets for the team, I am always up for it," Ishant said.
Ishant said his plan was just to bowl in right areas so as to make life difficult for the South African batsmen. "The game was opening up a bit because of runs in the first session on day one. So my effort was to keep bowling in good areas and bowl according to plans," he said. "I always believe in my strength and my strength is bounce, so I always try to bowl where I can finish my ball on the top of off stump. I think that's the best chance you give yourself to take more wickets and that's what I was doing," he added.
India did well enough to restrict South Africa on day two morning after they were placed at overnight 269 for 6. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up four for 113, but missed a five-wicket haul due to two missed chances off Kagiso Rabada. "We have coaches to talk about this and everybody is pointing it out. We don't have to react on all these things because it is part and parcel of the game. "You know they are fielders, and they will take brilliant catches for us. They have taken brilliant catches for us in the past, and I am sure they will take in the future as well. So there is no need to panic," said Ishant.
The lanky fast bowler denied that India were in control of the game just yet, despite Kohli's immaculate knock. "It was a pretty even day because we bowled them out pretty easily for 335 runs. On this kind of a wicket I think this was a good effort by the bowlers and we are at 183 for 5, so I think it was a pretty even day for both the teams," Ishant said. Talking about the pitch, he outlined that it is still good for batting and nothing could be ascertained about how it would play in the fourth innings when India are scheduled to bat last.
"As we expected there would be bounce on the wicket, but on the first day, the wicket was quite slow. It was two paced. On such wickets you have to be very disciplined so we did that. We were trying the not to open up the game because otherwise things will go out of your control. So we tried our best to make sure that the game doesn't go out of control," he said. "It is tough to say (how the wicket will change) because it is not the same wicket we got in Cape Town. It's a totally different kind of wicket, so it is important how we are going to play in tomorrow's first session," he signed off.
BTC X8 Bumex Review 2025: Scam or Legit Trading Platform? Quick Facts!
AR Rahman comments on future of music, worries about THIS genre: 'We have lost all…’
UPSC introduces changes in online application process after aspirants' complaints; check here
TRAI's BIG move, introduces new rules against pesky calls, messages, fines telcos for...
Vir Das breaks his silence on India’s Got Latent controversy: 'A good artist will always…'
Who was Kim Rieul? Korean designer behind BTS and MONSTA X’s modern hanboks passes away at 32
Trade Compliance Meets Cybersecurity: Forensic Strategies for Risk Management
Enabling governance to organizations within AWS marketplace: A look at private marketplace
R Madhavan makes BIG STATEMENT about his bank account: 'I don't know how much I have and...'
Asense Interior: Celebrating 11 Years of Redefining Luxury Interiors in Bengaluru
Snow Moon 2025: When and how to witness February's full moon tonight? Know here
Kiss Day 2025: Why do we celebrate this day? Know history and significance
DNA Verified: Is Rashtrapati Bhavan hosting a wedding for the FIRST time? Know truth here
India's retail inflation slows to 4.31 per cent in January due to...
WATCH: Maha Kumbh girl Mona Lisa starts training before filming her 1st movie alongside Anupam Kher
Radhika Merchant stuns in blue and green suit at MahaKumbh Mela, it costs Rs....
BIG move by Mukesh Ambani, Reliance partners with US company, set to drive...
IND v ENG: Why are India and England players wearing green arm bands in 3rd ODI at Ahmedabad?
Tripti Dimri sets major beachwear goals in Maldives; can you guess price of her swimsuit?
Mitolyn Supplement Reviews: Ingredients, benefits, side effects, purple peel exploit
Gaurav Sharma: Visionary leader driving cybersecurity excellence
All About Details: Turning ordinary outfits into statement looks
Duolingo owl is dead? Launguage learning app urges users to respect Dua Lipa's privacy, know why
Why digitisation is necessary in construction industry and why its adoption remains slow
Meet IIT-JEE topper, who created record in Odisha by scoring 99.98 percentile, aims to join...
When is Shab-e-Barat 2025 – February 13 or 14? Check history, significance
THIS is India's last railway station where train never stops, know why
GBS outbreak: Mumbai reports its first death due to Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Ram Gopal Varma questions Rajinikanth's acting, says 'I don’t know if he can exist without...'
Who was Acharya Satyendra Das? Ayodhya Ram temple's chief priest who passed away in Lucknow
Old wedding card mentioning IIT degrees of couple creates buzz on social media; see viral post
Chunky Panday says Shatrughan Sinha advised him to 'make people wait': 'If you are punctual...'
UP Court summons Rahul Gandhi on March 24 over 2022 remarks against Army
Indian consulate in Marseille to strengthen 'people-to-people ties': PM Modi
India’s Top 5 Richest YouTubers: Know who’s earning more than Samay Raina and Ranveer Allahbadia?
Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal are working to revolutionise mobile calling in India by...
DNA TV Show: UP CM Yogi Adityanath's multi-level plan for Maghi Purnima
Tejasswi Prakash reveals why she joined Celebrity MasterChef: 'I am obsessed with...'
Delhi-NCR schools holiday: Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, schools closed tomorrow due to...
'We can teach children AI but...': Sudha Murty urges govt to provide funds to schools to promote...
THIS startup gives whopping bonus to employees for loyalty, they get Rs...
JEE Main 2025 Toppers List Released: Meet 14 candidates who scored 100 percentile this year
JEE Main Result 2025 DECLARED: Get direct link, steps to check NTA score and other details HERE
SHOCKING! Noida family held under ‘digital arrest’ for 5 days, loses Rs 1 crore to cyber fraud
Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna shoot for Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar in Mumbai, pictures get leaked