SA vs. IND, 1st Test: Rohit Sharma says that the Centurion loss does not indicate that India lacks international batting skills.

India vs. South Africa, First Test: Rohit Sharma told reporters following their innings and 32-run loss in Centurion that "it's not fair to rubbish India's batting line-up after one bad performance." They have previously won series in Australia and drawn one in England thanks to a similar group of batsmen, the captain pointed out.

Ankush Pandey Ankush Pandey
Jul 11, 2025 - 17:23 Updated: Jul 11, 2025 - 12:20
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SA vs. IND, 1st Test: Rohit Sharma says that the Centurion loss does not indicate that India lacks international batting skills.
SA vs. IND, 1st Test Rohit Sharma says that the Centurion loss does not indicate that India lacks international batting skills.

In Short

  • In the two innings of the Centurion Test, India collapsed for 245 and 131.
  • India lost the Boxing Day Test by an innings and thirty-two runs.
  • India now has a five-match losing streak in SENA countries.

In the opening match of a two-test series against South Africa in Centurion, India's captain Rohit Sharma downplayed his team's terrible batting performance. India's innings and 32-run loss in the Boxing Day Test, which lasted less than three days, was one of their worst in recent memory. They were bowled out for 245 and 131.

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India had no standout batting performances, with the exception of Virat Kohli, who struck a heroic 76 in the second innings, and KL Rahul, who scored a century in the first. Young guns Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill did not do much to trouble the scorers, and captain Rohit only managed five runs. Shreyas Iyer, who batted at number five, was disappointing in the second innings after failing to convert his start in the first.

However, in their lone batting innings, the hosts, South Africa, scored 408.  On a challenging pitch at SuperSport Park, Dean Elgar, in his penultimate Test, made batting look easy with a score of 185, while all-rounder Marco Jansen and debutant David Bedingham contributed fifties.

Kagiso Rabada and Nandre Burger, the debutant bowlers for South Africa, made the ball talk on the Centurion pitch, which appeared flat when India's pacers were on it.

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South Africa batted 108.4 overs in the first innings, while India batted 111.5 overs in both innings.

Captain Rohit Sharma stated following the innings loss in Centurion that it is unfair to dismiss India's batting lineup after a single setback because the same lineup has performed admirably in the past three years, winning series in Australia and drawing one in England.

  

"Yes, this is the kind of performance we had here.  But remember what we did in England and Australia.  Our batters excelled in Australia, where we won the series.  Speaking to reporters in Centurion on Thursday, December 28, Rohit Sharma stated, "We drew a series in England, and we shone with both bat and ball."

These kinds of performances take place.  We are not ignorant of how to bat outside of India. Sometimes the opposition outplays us and wins games.  That's what happened here, I believe.  We didn't bat as many overs in the combined two innings, whereas the opposition batted 110 overs. "Go see our records (batting numbers) from the last four tours outside of India," he continued.

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NEW YEAR, NEW HOPE FOR CAPTAIN ROHIT

The captain of India, meanwhile, emphasised how crucial it is that he be there for his players and provide them with support following a loss of this magnitude.

When the New Year's Test begins in Cape Town on January 3, Rohit stated that India will try to move past the Centurion Test defeat and aim to perform better.

"Yes, putting pressure is a captain's job. The captain's time on the pitch won't always be joyful. On occasions like these, a captain's primary responsibility is to lead the team and get things done.

"More significantly, I spent too much time thinking about this game. Of course, we will examine what we could have done better.  However, I believe it's crucial to leave a loss like this here rather than bringing it with us to Cape Town.  However, we can learn from our mistakes.

"This is what you agree to when you accept the position. I have complete faith in the men we currently have.  It's about ensuring that we support one another at this particular moment," Rohit continued.

In just three days, India's hopes of winning their first series in South Africa were dashed, but the visitors still have a chance to draw the two-match series in Cape Town.

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