 "'India's most abject Test performance': Team India get blasted on social media after Centurion Test defeat")
Indian cricket team came under severe criticism on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter) after they suffered a crushing defeat by an innings on Thursday to South Africa in the Centurion Test. The Proteas handed India an innings and 32 runs defeat in the first Test of the two-match series to take a 1-0 lead. The match got over inside three days after India were bowled out for just 131 in their second innings. Day 3 of the match began with Dean Elgar and Marco Jansen forging a 111-run partnership as South Africa took a crucial 163-run first innings lead. India would have planned to take the match as deep as possible but a poor performance with the bat saw them fold in just 34.1 overs. Only two batters managed to cross the 10-run mark. Virat Kohli was the top-scorer for India with a fighting 76 and earned some praise on X for his gritty knock. Shubhman Gill was the next-highest scorer with 26. Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck, while Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul scored six and four runs respectively. Yashasvi Jaiswal added five. Ravichandran Ashwin (0), Shardul Thakur (2), Jasprit Bumrah (0) and Mohammed Siraj (4) failed to add anything major from the lower-order, while Prasidh Krishna stayed unbeaten on 0. Here’s how fans and experts reacted to India’s massive defeat:
Puri tarah se ghutne teke hai team ne. Expected better. #INDvsSA
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 28, 2023
A 3-day test match 😞 #SAvIND
— Dodda Ganesh | ದೊಡ್ಡ ಗಣೇಶ್ (@doddaganesha) December 28, 2023
Collapsed to a three-day loss, with rain and bad light stoppages included in first two days...
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) December 28, 2023
And yet... pre-match talk was all about winning a first Test series in South Africa.
Embarrassing! #SAvInd
This is India's most abject Test performance in recent memory. Even 36 all out in Adelaide was essentially one bad session of play, which can happen to the best of teams. Aside from Rahul in the first innings and Bumrah with the ball and to some extent, Ashwin keeping things…
— Anand Vasu (@anandvasu) December 28, 2023
Can't remember the last time the Indian men's Test team had a flatter, more lacklustre, performance than this. Even in defeats.
— Vinayakk (@vinayakkm) December 28, 2023
Congratulations to the Shukri Conrad, @ashyp_5, Piet Botha and the rest of the @ProteasMenCSA team management on an emphatic win. Top draw manne. Newlands here we come. #SAvIND
— Vincent Barnes (@VincentBarnes60) December 28, 2023
What is this performance? #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/WmU0mnT9HN
— TheRandomCricketPhotosGuy (@RandomCricketP1) December 28, 2023
Kohli was praised for his fighting knock
It would be unfair not to acknowledge this inning of Virat Kohli on South African soil. Played brilliantly.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 28, 2023
— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) December 28, 2023
The second Test will be played at Newlands and will start on 3 January.
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