‘Not Here to Comfort My Team,’ Says Virat Kohli After Series Loss

India lost the second Test to South Africa by 135 runs on Wednesday, 17 January.

(Photo: BCCI)

“I’m not here to comfort my boys. Will ask everyone to be hard on themselves,” said captain Virat Kohli after India lost the second Test to South Africa in Centurion on Wednesday, 17 January.

Batsmen let the team down, he further added, conceding that his team has been just not good enough in the Test series against South Africa so far.

India suffered a 135-run drubbing at the hands of South Africa in the second cricket Test on the fifth day today to lose the three-match series 0-2. The visitors had lost the first Test by 72 runs in the first Test in Cape Town.

"We failed to get a good partnership and take lead. We have let ourselves down. The bowlers have done the job but the batsmen have let the team down," Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"We tried but we weren't good enough, especially in the fielding department. That's why they (South Africa) are the winner," he added.

Kohli, who stroked a fighting 153 in India's first innings, said his side erred in reading the Centurion wicket properly.

"We thought the wicket was really flat. Quite surprising.

I told the guys the wicket looks different to what it looked before toss. Especially after SA lost wickets in the first innings, we should have capitalised," the Indian skipper said.

"I want to leave everything on the field. That's the way I play. 150-odd runs (for himself) means nothing now that we have lost the series. If we had won, even a 30 would have mattered more. As a team, you want to win collectively." South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said his side were were pretty much on top of India in all the five days of the game.

"It took a lot of hard work over the last five days. We were on top pretty much most of the times," he said.

(With inputs from PTI.)

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