On Wednesday, Indian captain Virat Kohli took a stunning catch to send back in-form South Africa captain Quinton de Kock to the pavilion in the 2nd T20I against South Africa in Mohali. The left-handed batsman, after opening the innings for visitors, went on to score a half century, and was looking good in the middle.
Quinton de Kock, who was flaying the Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground, had hit his 3rd fifty in T20Is and was batting on 52 when he tried to hit a length ball from fast bowler Navdeep Saini over the midwicket region. However, he failed to middle it and the ball went in the air over the bowler's head as Kohli, who was stationed at mid-off started to run towards his left.
The South African captain played a pull shot off Navdeep Saini's 141.2 kmph short of length delivery. The ball flew over the bowler's head but Kohli, stationed at mid-off, covered a lot of ground, stretched both his hands and completed a flawless catch with his left hand.
Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bowl. Skipper Kohli, at the toss, explained the reason for his decision: “We are gonna bowl first. Looks like a fresh wicket. The surface is a bit dry. Any kind of dew in the second half on this ground, it’s very difficult to defend. It’s a great chasing ground and hence we’re fielding first.”
“It’s a typical Mohali pitch - nice, hard surface. Pretty okay covering of grass, that’s been the case with Mohali over the years. In this ground as many as you score, one good phase and the game can get away from you. The pitch is gonna play well throughout the game.”
