Pune: India skipper Virat Kohli has hailed the teammates as they showcased a 'great team effort and spirited' performance after they won a second Test against South Africa by an innings and 137 runs on Sunday.
"Great team effort and spirit shown by the boys #INDvSA," Kohli tweeted.
Great team effort and spirit shown by the boys. 🇮🇳 #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/oexEQLzNTq
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) October 13, 2019
This is India's 11th consecutive series win on home soil, the highest by any team. With this victory, India also took a 2-0 lead over South Africa in the three-match Test series.
Kohli was awarded player of the match as he scored unbeaten 254 runs which is also his career-best inning. For India, pacer Umesh Yadav and spinner
Ravichandran Ashwin scalped six wickets each in the game.
India declared their first innings on 601/5 after which they bowled out Proteas for 275. India handed a follow-on to South Africa as the former had the 326 lead in the match.
India became the first team to enforce the follow-on on South Africa after 2008.
South Africa had a poor start in their second innings as Aiden Markram was given leg-before on the second delivery of the day by Ishant Sharma.
Theunis de Bruyn joined Dean Elgar on the field but could not form a long partnership as he was caught behind the stumps on Yadav's over. The skipper Faf du Plessis then came to bat and played steadily along with Elgar.
Both formed a 49-run partnership before Ravichandran Ashwin got hold of Du Plessis (5). In his next over, Ashwin removed Elgar too as he gave away an easy catch to Umesh Yadav after scoring 48 runs.
Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock were the next batsmen but the latter was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja, putting the host under immense pressure. Senuran Muthusamy then took the field.
Both played slowly and avoided any risky shots. They added another 46 runs on the board. However, their partnership was broken after Jadeja sent Bavuma (38) back to the pavilion in the 44th over.
In the next over, Mohammad Shami dismissed Muthusamy (9). Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander came in bat and both played cautiously in the second innings as well and formed a 56-run partnership. However, Yadav came out furiously in the 67th over and took two wickets. First, Philander was caught behind and then Kagiso Rabada was caught by Rohit Sharma.
In the next over, Maharaj was found in front of the wickets off Jadeja's delivery and the visitors' second innings was ended on 189.
India will now face South Africa in the third Test from October 19.
