The stage is set once again for India’s cricketing titan, Virat Kohli, to showcase his formidable talent as the Men in Blue prepare to combat the South African squad in their second Test at Newlands, Cape Town starting January 3. In the wake of a humbling loss in the inaugural Test match, the Indian team is determined to avert a sweeping 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Proteas. Hopes are high that, with a little bit of luck and a lot of skill, they might yet salvage the series with a 1-1 draw. The upcoming match is not only India’s first Test venture of the New Year, but it also presents a critical opportunity for redemption in 2024.
As the cricketing community anticipates the commencement of the match, all eyes are on Virat Kohli, a master of the pitch who requires no prompt in launching an offensive against opposing bowlers. Historically, Kohli has delivered outstanding performances in India’s New Year Tests, and expectations for his performance in the upcoming game are rightfully sky-high.
Since making his Test debut in the middle of 2011, Kohli has spent over a decade dominating the Test arena. His record of performance in the first Tests of new years since 2012 is impressive, with a tally of 1125 runs under his belt. Included in his haul are two double centuries and two centuries scored across those 12 games. Kohli’s appearances for the New Year’s games in Test cricket have twice been in South Africa. However, his fortune on South African soil has been mixed – having crossed the fifty-run mark merely once in four innings with a tenacious 79 in India’s defeat to the Proteas in Cape Town in the year 2022. His previous engagement in a New Year Test in South Africa was part of the 2018 tour, also in Cape Town.
To reflect on his journey, his scores over the years have been a testament to his skill and consistency:
– In 2012 against Australia at SCG, he scored 23 and 9.
– In 2013, against the same opponent in Chennai, he shone with a score of 107 and did not bat (DNB) in the second innings.
– Auckland witnessed his scores of 4 and 67 against New Zealand in 2014.
– In 2015, back in Australia at SCG, he amassed a substantial 147 and followed with a 46.
– His prowess was unmissable in 2016 when he hammered a double century, 200, in North Sound against West Indies, and didn’t bat in the second innings.
– India witnessed another double ton, a 204, in Hyderabad versus Bangladesh in 2017, and he added a 38 in the second innings.
– Cape Town in 2018 saw him score 5 and 28 against South Africa.
– The year 2019 had him scoring 23 against Australia in SCG and not batting in the follow up.
– New Zealand saw scores of 2 and 19 in Wellington during 2020.
– Then, in Chennai against England, he scored 11 and a commendable 72 in 2021.
– Returning to Cape Town in 2022, he managed 79 and 29 against South Africa.
– His most recent score prior to the upcoming match was a 12 in Nagpur against Australia in 2023.
With such an illustrative history, the anticipation for Kohli’s game-play in this year’s first Test is palpable. The upcoming encounter is not just about maintaining a streak but about igniting the passion and prowess that Virat Kohli embodies. Newlands, Cape Town has prepared the stage for a cricketing spectacle where the batting maestro will once again strive to conquer the pitch and lead India with pride and determination. Every run, every innings, and every match tells a story, and Kohli is ready to add an impressive chapter to his cricketing saga as the battle against the Proteas unfolds in the New Year.
