In the end, there were no raucous celebrations, no wild fist-pumps or animated yells as Team India breached Fortress Centurion just 12 balls into the second session on Thursday. The world’s No. 1 Test team, it seems, is now used to wearing the garb of excellence away from home.
It was, instead, heart-warming to see one of the pace architects of the victory, Jasprit Bumrah, run casually up to skipper Virat Kohli and give him a pat on the back. Kohli responded, as he usually does, with a dismissive smile, just his way of displaying some hard-won pride.
Progress is measured in milestones, and Thursday’s 113-run win over South Africa in the first Test is a quantum leap. India’s first-ever Test victory at this bastion for the home team -- SA have now lost only three out of 27 Tests here, and never lost to any Asian team before this – brings definitive indication that Virat Kohli’s men have upended traditional beliefs of the team being poor travellers.
This is a cycle that began on South African shores in 2018 and brings to a full circle the evolution of the team’s pace battery into a well-tuned machine of doom. India have lusted after just this kind of fast-bowling wealth for generations. Understandably, they are now in a hurry to make amends.
Denne historien er fra December 31, 2021-utgaven av The Times of India Mumbai.
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Denne historien er fra December 31, 2021-utgaven av The Times of India Mumbai.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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