Virat Kohli registered a gutsy half-century on Day 1 of the ongoing third Test match between India and South Africa in Cape Town. The Indian red-ball skipper received plenty of praise from fans on Twitter for his "hard-earned" knock and it was also his second-slowest half-century in Test cricket. He reached his fifty in 158 balls and his slowest half-century in Tests was against England (171 balls) in the 2012-13 season. Cricket expert Ayaz Memon led the reactions and lauded the batter. He wrote, "Hard-earned half century for #Kohli. If he converts this into a three-figure knock, it will will be a tour de force given the pitch, quality of SA bowling and India's wobbly top order batting".
Meanwhile, The Bharat Army called it a "well-crafted 50" and asked Kohli to "go for the kill".
The official Team India fan group wrote, "BACK WITH A BANG! After sitting out the second Test due to an injury, Skipper Virat is back with a well-crafted 50. Go for the kill, King!"
"The master has started his work in 2022, 50* from 158 balls including 7 fours and 1 six - shown lots of git, determination and patience through the innings - keep going, captain Virat Kohli", a fan tweeted.
Here are the other reactions:
After leading India to a win in the first Test, Kohli missed the second Test due to a back spasm. With KL Rahul captaining the squad in the game, India went on to lose by seven wickets.
The visitors had won the first match by 113 runs.
The series is currently level at 1-1 and Kohli's knock could be crucial to the result. The 33-year-old will be hoping to convert his strong start to a triple-figure score.
India will be eyeing a strong first innings total in the ongoing third Test.