On the opening day of the third test against South Africa at Ranchi, India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and elected to bat first. India managed to score 224/3 before bad light stopped the day’s play.
In the hope of bringing some change to his luck, South African skipper Faf du Plessis nominated teammate Temba Bavuma as the proxy captain to make the call at the toss. Faf had lost nine consecutive tosses and was desperate for a win.
But things didn’t work out as the coin once again landed in Kohli’s favor. “It shows that it isn’t meant to be (about using Temba Bavuma as a proxy captain for luck). Important toss as this looks the driest surface of the series. It’s about the first innings really, and we need to put runs on the board when we bat,” told Faf at the toss.
Virat Kohli called it a no-brainer to bat first at the Toss #TeamIndia #INDvSA @Paytm 🇮🇳🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/3V4fKvcVWr
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 19, 2019
Former South African captain Graeme Smith was unhappy with the whole act. “It was a quirky moment, but for me, it was a little bit pathetic,” said Smith to Star Sports.
“It just shows the mindset of the South African side. I didn’t enjoy seeing that. I would rather see the South Africa captain stand there, own his position,” he added.
“You know, they are looking at the wrong places for the reasons they have lost the game. Unfortunately, they haven’t played well enough. Yes, winning the toss in the sub-continent is a nice thing to do, but if you play well enough, you can still compete,” Smith concluded.
