South Africa has suffered a big blow as their main spinner Keshav Maharaj has been ruled out of the third Test at Ranchi due to a shoulder injury. Maharaj who had batted with grit in the first innings despite nursing the shoulder injury will miss the final Test. The left-arm spinner hasn’t been at his best with the ball but he has delivered the goods with the bat.
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Marahaj batted with gumption in the first innings when South Africa had their backs against the wall. The right-hander scored a fine knock of 72 runs from 132 balls with the help of 12 fours. Furthermore, he once again showed the resistance in the second dig as he faced 65 balls to score 22 runs.
Big blow for South Africa.
However, Maharaj has been seen wanting with the ball. The left-arm spinner gave away 196 runs in the 50 overs he bowled in the first innings and could only scalp one wicket.
Meanwhile, India has already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts’ won the second Test match by an innings and 137 runs to continue their domination. In fact, this is the 11th straight home series for India, which is most for any team in the Test fold.
The Indian team has dominated the Proteas from ball one of the ongoing series and it is going to be a herculean task for the tourists’ to make a comeback in the final Test. There is no doubt that Faf du Plessis-led team will need to play out of their skin to challenge the potent Indian side.
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On the other hand, Indian captain Virat Kohli received the Man of the Match award as he had scored a fine knock of 254 runs in the first innings. This was the seventh double century for Virat Kohli which is the most for any Indian player.