IND vs SA | Virat Kohli is not invincible, even the greatest have gone through a slump, says Allan Donald
Virat Kohli scored 51 runs in the first ODI against South Africa on Wednesday in Paarl
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Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald stated that Virat Kohli is not invincible, and the greatest players of the game have gone through a lean patch during their careers. Donald further added that Kohli has got great standards and it will not take long for the 33-year-old to be back to his best.
South Africa took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series after a resounding 31-run victory against India in Paarl on Wednesday. After winning the toss, South Africa opted to bat first, and centuries from Temba Bavuma (110) and Rassie van der Duseen (129*) guided the Proteas to a total of 296/4. The duo also stitched up a crucial 204-run stand, and outplayed the Indian bowlers.
In reply, India suffered an early blow as they lost the wicket of KL Rahul (12) in the ninth over. However, Shikhar Dhawan (79) and Virat Kohli partnered for a 92-run stand before the former fell to Keshav Maharaj. Playing his first match after relinquishing his captaincy role in all three formats, Kohli scored 51 off 63 balls, which included just three boundaries. Kohli displayed a similar batting technique in the Cape Town Test, where he scored a fighting 79 runs in the first innings.Â
However, after claiming his 63rd ODI fifty, Kohli's gritty innings ended in the hands of Temba Bavuma as the former attempted to sweep Tabraiz Shamsi. With the poor shot selection against Shamsi, Kohli also denied himself the chance of scoring his 71st international century.
Meanwhile, Allan Donald stated that Kohli is not invincible, and even the greatest cricketers have gone through a lean patch in their careers. The former South Africa pacer cited Steve Smith's form after the ball-tampering incident. Donald further added that Kohli has got great standards and it will not take long for the 33-year-old to be back to his best.
"Is Virat invincible? No. But even the greatest have gone through a slump, as the game is a great leveller. Even Steve Smith hasn't really been on fire since his comeback after the ball-tampering issue. I know Virat's standards and I'm sure he will be back at some point. It won't take long," said Donald, as reported by Hindustan Times.
The South Africa legendary cricketer added that the opposition bowlers bowled with great discipline to Kohli, and succeeded in building pressure around him.
"I'm not sure if Virat was exposed technically, but South Africa hammered away at the basic areas and let the pitch do the business when bowling to him. The bowlers piled on the basic pressure really well," he added.
