India captain Virat Kohli blamed losing wickets in a heap as one of the biggest reasons for their 72-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test in Cape Town on Monday.
Not having a single big partnership except Bhuvneshwar Kumar-Hardik Pandya's 99 for 8th wicket in the first innings is something to worry about for the team.
He was all praise for Pandya, whose 93 was a face-saver in the first innings.
“We believe in Pandya. He always wants to do well, even away from home. He showed a lot of character and the knock was brilliant,” said the Indian captain.
Virat’s counterpart Faf du Plessis was happy how his team responded during tough periods in the Test Match.
"I thought 270 was par but Pandya then took risks and it came off. Once again, the bowlers stepped up. The plan was to try and get 200 runs and have a lead of 350 and have a crack at them,” said Du Plessis
Du Plessis mentioned that they were surprised how much the ball was doing. It was like a day one pitch.
The former Chennai Super Kings batsman is happy that they have been able to put opposition under pressure first up.
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