'Test without him is soulless' - Twitterati reacts as Virat Kohli misses India vs SA 2nd Test in J'burg
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India vs South Africa, 2nd Test: Virat Kohli is out of the second and penultimate tie due to upper back spasm. Here's how Twitterati reacted to the 33-year-old's absence from the Johannesburg Test:
India were dealt with a huge blow ahead of the start of the second Test versus South Africa on Monday (January 3). Regular captain Virat Kohli got ruled out of the second and penultimate tie due to upper back spasm, with KL Rahul captaining the national side in the ongoing Test at The Wanderers, Johannesburg.
At the coin toss, stand-in captain Rahul told the broadcasters, "Unfortunately Virat has had an upper back spasm, the physios are working on him and hopefully he'll recover for the next Test. It is every Indian player's dream to captain his country. Really honoured and looking forward to this challenge. We have had a few good wins here and hopefully we'll look to continue that. Hanuma Vihari comes in place of Virat. Just the one change. It was a good Test at Centurion overall. We really performed well as a team and are really excited about this match."
In Kohli's absence, India will be eager to win the second Test -- after the impressive 113-run victory in the Centurion tie -- and claim their first-ever series triumph on South African soil. India's playing XI for the J'burg Test is as follows:
KL Rahul(c), Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj
ALSO READ | Ind vs SA, 2nd Test: Big blow to India as Virat Kohli out of playing XI, KL Rahul takes charge
Here's how Twitterati reacted to Kohli's absence from the second Test:
If Virat isn't playing in this test then nobody's gonna watch it. Test match without Virat is soulless. @BCCI #Virat #INDvsSA
— Bobby Tanwar (@bobby_tanwar) January 3, 2022
Why kohli not there 👀#INDvsSA
— ᴍ ᴀ ɴ ɪ ᴄ ᴋ ᴬᴷ (@Manick_twts) January 3, 2022
Back spasm rules out Captain Kohli from the 2nd Test. Drop a ❤️ to wish King a speedy recovery! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) January 3, 2022
Hope to see you on the field for the 3rd Test Skip! #PlayBold #TeamIndia #SAvIND pic.twitter.com/OzKfUZXex6
Injured in just 17 hrs ? 🤔#ViratKohli #SAvsInd #INDvsSA https://t.co/JeK0bjPwOM
— Shalav Kela (@shalavkela) January 3, 2022
ALSO READ | India's head coach Rahul Dravid reveals when Virat Kohli will come before media
For the unversed, the 33-year-old Kohli was set to appear in his 99th Test in the second match of the three-match series. He was set to play his 100th Test in the series decider, however, he will now have to wait for the India-Sri Lanka home series to achieve the landmark of 100 Tests.
On the other hand, Rahul became India's 34th Test captain when he took the field during the coin toss on Tuesday. He will also lead India in the upcoming three ODIs versus the Temba Bavuma-led Proteas, starting on January 19 at Paarl.