Daijiworld Media Network

Johannesburg, Dec 19: Yesterday was all about Virat Kohli - the young Indian batsman played exceptionally well to make a ton in his first innings in Test cricket in South Africa. Due to his brilliance, India weathered probing bowling and testing conditions to reach 255/5. There was valuable support from Pujara, Rahane and Dhoni as India displayed admirable caution and restraint on the opening day at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Shaun Pollock with the pitch report: 'There is not much wear and tear, there is no real damage to talk off. The grass is wet because of all the moisture from overnight, if the sun comes out that will dry off. Today the cracks won't be a concern and it will be the best day for batting. South Africa will hope to do damage with the 2nd new ball.'

Some bad news to bring you before the start of the 2nd day: It has rained consistently overnight and there is a lot of moisture on the wicket. So play won't start on time. The forecast was for showers throughout the match and that forecast has come true.

Vernon Philander: 'We still bowled really well, the wicket was on the slower side, beat the bat lot of times, hopefully we can do it this morning. The ploy was to keep hitting our lengths, make them come to us. He (Kohli) played brilliantly, got through the tough period at the start and left a lot of balls on a good length. There is always going to be expectations, obviously you are playing international cricket. The method is to keep it simple, not to allow the expectations to get to me. The plan is to knock them over with the 2nd ball and keep the score to around 300.'

Match report - day 1:

So that brings our coverage to a close of day 1. Still a possible 4 days left in this engrossing Test match. The opening day was a cracker and hopefully that continues for the rest of the game. We will be there early tomorrow as well. Do join us then, until then have a nice night and keep dreaming. If you haven't got your fix of cricket, then there is the Pakistan-Sri Lanka ODI going on, switch tabs to follow that game.

Cheteshwar Pujara has just come out and has had a chat to the official broadcasters, here are his words: 'It was very crucial, we know that in overseas conditions if you look through the new ball we can play our shots. That was our plan. We had a chat (with Kohli about the run-out dismissal) and it happens sometimes when communication goes wrong and one is run out. I prepared well and could execute my plans. In overseas conditions, the plan is to make the bowlers tired and then score runs. It was important to leave balls outside off as the bowlers were trying to bowl on the 5th or 6th stump line. If we can put on another 100-150 runs, we can win this Test match.'

I'm trying hard to recollect when was the last time an Indian side played with such discipline with the bat in an away Test match. Maybe Headingley 2002 when Ganguly opted to bat under overcast conditions on a green pitch and then saw his side pile on the runs. This effort was special because right from Vijay till Dhoni, they opted to leave a majority of the balls and played only which needed to be played. Top effort on a spicy Jo'Burg wicket.

South Africa were very disciplined, they stuck to a line and length and never gave anything loose - except for the backup bowlers who were taken to the cleaners by the Indians. Tahir was very disappointing today and he often allowed the pressure built up to be released with one loose ball per over. Steyn and Morkel were menacing, while Philander had a quiet day. Not their greatest day with the ball it must be said.

He was looking very good, when he fell to a tired looking stroke. From there, Dhoni and Rahane took over, with the latter being very impressive. After Kohli today, Rahane has caught the eye with his batting. Even Pujara deserves a mention, who showed great character and showcased his defensive technique until he was unfortunately run out by Kohli.
Kohli was just brilliant today - showing impeccable judgment of when to play and when to leave. His defence was solid and he had lots of time to play the ball. Trusted his instincts, played each ball on it's merit and put the bad ones away. The only blot in his innings today was the way he ran Pujara out, but that didn't affect his concentration as he got to a richly deserved ton.

So one should say that it has been India's day. 255/5 is a score they would've taken with both hands and feet if someone had offered them that score before the start of play today. Dhoni must be lauded for taking the brave step of opting to bat first after winning the toss, when he so easily could've gone for the easier option. The openers didn't last long but it was the Virat Kohli show thereafter which has placed India in this position.