IND vs SA | India were 50-60 runs short from what was expected of them, reckons Vikram Rathour

The third and final Test of the series between India and South Africa is being played in Cape Town and India have scored 223/10 in the first innings. The team won the toss and chose to bat first. Virat Kohli was the highest run-scorer in the innings with a knock of 79 runs. Cheteshwar Pujara scored 43 runs. Kagiso Rabada was the pick of the bowlers for hosts with four wickets for 73 runs. India batting coach Vikram Rathour has stated that India were 50-60 runs short from what was expected of them. 

“These are challenging conditions, not easy conditions to score runs in, but we are below par. We could have scored 50/60 more runs, that’s what we were at least expecting,” said Rathour at the post day media interaction. 

Rathour praise Kohli and Pujara for their knocks but also pointed out that there were too many soft dismissals in the latter part of the innings and batsman could have done better. 

"Virat played a phenomenal innings...Pujara was looking really good, but then they bowled a good spell in the morning, the conditions were overcast and they were challenging for batting, but again I thought there were some soft dismissals in the later part of the innings, we could have done better definitely,” he explained.  

South Africa are poised at 17/1 in response by the end of day’s play. Dean Elgar was dismissed on 3 runs, Aiden Markram and Keshav Maharaj are on the crease and will lead the charge for South Africa innings on second day. Rathour was hopeful that India will restrict South Africa from taking a big lead in the first innings. 

“The lesser the runs, I hope it will be an equal innings and they won’t get a big lead," he concluded.