There's no conquering the final frontier! India's quest to secure a historic Test series victory in South Africa ended in disappointment on the third day of the Centurion Test. The visitors faced a daunting task after South Africa established a commanding lead of 163 runs. The situation demanded a resilient response from India's batsmen, but the innings started on a disheartening note with captain Rohit Sharma being dismissed for a duck. This was soon followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal returning to the pavilion with a single-digit score.
Amidst the top-order stutter, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli briefly steadied the ship with a modest partnership. However, Gill's wicket signaled a downturn for India as they began to lose wickets in quick succession. Kohli, displaying his characteristic resilience, remained steadfast at one end of the crease. Unfortunately, the rest of the batting lineup - Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, R Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. collectively contributed a mere 12 runs. Only two Indian batters, in fact, managed to get into double-digits - Kohli and Gill.
Despite Kohli's valiant effort, scoring 76 runs off 82 deliveries, the lack of support from his teammates led to India's collapse at a total of just 131 runs. This resulted in a defeat by an innings and 32 runs, dashing India's hopes of a maiden Test series triumph on South African soil.
Bowlers who dismissed Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma most number of times