IND vs SA: "It’s extremely tough to halt...,"- Marco Jansen lauds Virat Kohli after his masterclass against South Africa in Ranchi

Virat Kohli scored his 52nd century in One-Day Internationals on Sunday.

India took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against South Africa after winning the opening encounter in Ranchi by 17 runs. Virat Kohli emerged as the Player of the Match after a batting exhibition where he scored 135 runs off 120 balls to guide India to a massive total of 349/8 in the first innings.

As Virat Kohli completed his 52nd ODI century, becoming the player with the most centuries in a format, South African bowlers stood in awe, having no clue as to where to bowl to him. The South African all-rounder, Marco Jansen, expressed after the match how gruelling it can be to bowl against a modern-day great like Kohli.

Marco Jansen applauds Virat Kohli’s brilliance

“When you bowl to world-class players, it’s quite challenging to dismiss them. I always aim to target a batter in his first 10 or 15 balls when they are still adjusting to the wicket. But once they are set and gain momentum, it’s extremely tough to halt them. Everyone here knows how to adapt, which is why you have to switch to plan B or C,” said Jansen, explaining the perils of bowling against world-class batters.

Jansen dived deep into further elaborating on why bowlers struggle against Virat Kohli. He said:

“It’s great to watch him play. Growing up watching him on TV and now bowling to him is both annoying and fun. He drives well, pulls well, cuts well, and plays with his pads effectively. Not much has changed- he’s just batting for longer periods.”

Also Read: Virat Kohli to return to test cricket? Batter drops a huge it is going to be” statement

South Africa will focus on positives, says Marco Jansen

Marco Jansen was one of the star performers in the first ODI. In the second innings, he scored 70 runs off just 39 balls when the Proteas were struggling to keep themselves in the chase. Discussing his batting performance, Jansen said:

“It’s always beneficial to come in when the top five are performing well. I’m just watching the ball and responding. For now, it’s working for me.”

The fast bowling all-rounder also said that South Africa will look to build on the positives as they did in the test series, where they whitewashed India.

“We didn’t bowl too poorly. They took early wickets, and we were on the back foot, but then we recovered. It’s about building on the positives, like we’ve been doing in the Test squad,” Jansen concluded.

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