Virat Kohli blames Indian batsmen for poor performance in Cape Town

The fans saw many ups and downs in the first match of the much-anticipated series between India and South Africa as both teams went through similar situations but the hosts managed to pull of the game in their favor. Kohli blamed the Indian batsmen for their horrible performance as the team received a 72-run defeat against the Proteas on Monday.

"We lost four wickets in four overs. If you do that, it is very tough for you to come back and win Test matches from there. You want their bowlers to come back for second and third spells. We failed to do that and need to apply ourselves better. At the same time, we need to have intent because the kind of bowling attack they have. You can't even be in a zone of not having intent and see off 35-40 overs. You need to find the perfect balance to do well in South Africa especially where there is more bounce. You cannot be casual at the same time you cannot have loose shots also," he observed.

"Hardik Pandya showed great character in the first innings to get us to that total. We needed if not one big partnership, then every wicket adding 30-35 runs. We needed to show more character with the bat, there is no question about it," he added.

Ahead of the start of the series, critics and fans had backed Team India to do well and the main reason behind their support was India’s bowling attack. And the bowlers, especially the pacers, didn’t disappoint the fans as they wrapped the South African team at 286 and 130 in the first and second innings respectively. Throughout the match, the bowlers worked hard to keep India in the game, but unfortunately the result ended in the home team’s favor.

The Indian team entered in the series without playing any warm-up games as they decided to do their own practice with some domestic Indian pacers who traveled with the team. The experts questioned the decision but the Indian skipper didn’t pay much attention to the criticism. 

"We were very well-prepared. I don't think we felt any lack of preparation. Even they got out for 130 in the second innings and they play here all the time. It was a wicket where things were happening every day. We let ourselves down with the bat, that's for sure."

"Vernon is a different kind of bowler and he has different strengths. He will always pitch the ball in those areas in uncertainty and that's his strength. He will also get the ball to seam both ways also," Kohli said.

"You have to be at the top of your game every time you play against this bowling attack because of the variety as well. He bowled really well in the second innings when the ball wasn't doing as much. At one stage when Rohit and I were playing, we felt pretty comfortable. We lost four wickets in four overs, which doesn't really help the teams cause especially when you are chasing a low total," he added.

"The pitch was outstanding. I really liked the kind of wicket this was. I think it was great for Test cricket - getting a result in four days despite losing a day's play, it was definitely not one sided, both sides were in it at different stages."

For the first Test, Team India decided to drop Ajinkya Rahane to give place to Rohit Sharma, who scored 11 and 10 in the two innings. Rahane, who is one of the most consistent performers on the overseas tour, failed to get a place in the playing XI because of Rohit’s terrific performance in the recently ended series against Sri Lanka.