Virat Kohli says batting must be ‘looked into’ after defeat at Newlands

India’s batting needs to be looked into and they cannot continue to have collapses in Test matches, captain Virat Kohli said on Thursday after the team conceded a 1-2 series loss to South Africa after a seven-wicket defeat at Newlands. India’s top order and lower middle order failed to make significant contributions in the second innings of the third Test, thus folding for 198 runs.

South Africa then chased down a target of 212 with Keegan Petersen scoring 82 runs.

“The batting obviously has to be looked into, there is no running away from that. Having collapses every now and then is not a good thing. That is something we need to analyse and correct moving forward,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation ceremony.

“It is definitely batting; can’t pin-point any other aspect,” said Kohli about which part of the team can be improved.

“One of the challenges we’ve faced touring abroad is making sure we capitalise on momentum. When we’ve done that we’ve won Tests away from home. When we haven’t, we have had lapses of concentration which cost us the Test match. We have had a few collapses that have cost us important moments and eventually the Test matches,” he said.

Kohli said that the competitiveness that the two teams showed throughout the series was good for Test cricket.

“As a whole was a great spectacle of Tests for everyone to watch; hard-fought series. Great first game but South Africa did amazingly well. In both Tests they won, they were clinical with the ball in crunch moments. Lapse of concentration cost us key moments and they seized those moments; absolutely deserving winners in the end,” he said.