Rabada cherishes Kohli dismissal

The South African ace bowled a peach of a delivery to dismiss the star Indian batter.

Centurion: Kagiso Rabada was in the middle of a spell so tactical and complete that even Virat Kohli couldn’t help himself but pat the pacer’s back once after the lunch break on the opening day of the opening Test at the SuperSport Park. 

It’s interesting because Kohli only faced eight deliveries from the South African pacer, but the India No.4 had seen enough from the other end. And then it happened.

Last ball of the 31st over. Rabada got the ball to drift into Kohli. As Kohli shaped up to defend the line, the ball landed and straightened just enough to pick up a ‘fainty’ en route Kyle Verreynne behind the stumps. 

Kohli looked back, then at Rabada, then looked down, and then walked. The King was undone by a peach. 

“It was memorable,” said Rabada of the dismissal in the post-play press conference. “You know, he normally covers that line very well, he’s world-class, but today I was able to get the ball to move away just enough to get a fainty (a faint edge).”

The press conference was mostly all smiles with Rabada even referring to the crowd as ‘drunk, fun and absolutely lovely’. 

In stark contrast, Vikram Rathour, the Indian batting coach, wore a forced smile and spoke of how they should have held onto a few more wickets. 

India were down eight wickets for 208 at the end of the day, and this was after the South Africans dropped a couple of catches. 

“We knew the conditions were going to be tough,” said the former India batter. “Rabada was in the middle of a brilliant spell so it was always going to be challenging. I think we did okay, but having a couple of more wickets would have helped.”

When the topic of Rohit Sharma’s dismissal was broached, Rathour shot back: “He believes he can score with that shot so he plays that shot and we back him entirely. He scores a lot of his runs with that shot, but on days it won’t come off. That’s just how the game works.”

As for once again having to rely on one batter - KL Rahul in this instance - to survive the opening day of a Test, Rathour said: "That’s why we have him in the team. That’s his role and we know he will deliver most times. He’s an exceptional talent and knows how to adapt to any situation.”