Virat Kohli finally won a toss during India’s tour of South Africa in the third Test at the Wanderers, Johannesburg. However, that was hardly the talking point ahead of the start of play on Wednesday.
The pitch was as green as it could get, which promised plenty of pace and bounce. And while that was on expected grounds, Kohli’s decision after winning the toss was not.
The India captain opted to bat first on this track:
“Good grass covering, but the surface is always hard and we want to put runs on the board,” Kohli said. And that wasn’t the only surprise coming from the toss. Kohli went on to announce that India was fielding an all-pace attack, with four fast bowlers and a seam-bowling all-rounder in Hardik Pandya.
South Africa also chose to go with a spinner but captain Faf du Plessis said he was happy to bowl first and would have opted for that had he won the toss.
Naturally, Twitter had a lot to say of Kohli’s latest shocker:
There were some who were seeing the positive in Ajinkya Rahane finally getting a bat in this series.
Then, it started. India’s openers were gone in the first hour.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!