With Ranchi Follow On, Virat Kohli Creates New Record As India Captain

Virat Kohli's Indian cricket team have enjoyed their series against South Africa, breaking plenty of records. South Africa have not managed to bowl out India in the entire three-match series, with India declaring in all four Test innings where they have batted. In Pune, Kohli enforced the follow-on after his magnificent 254 helped India reach a total in excess of 600. In Ranchi, Rohit Sharma's maiden double ton and a magnificent all-round performance by the bowlers helped India secure a 335-run lead and once again enforce the follow-on. 

This was the eighth time that Virat Kohli had enforced the follow-on in his captaincy tenure and it broke the record of seven set by Mohammad Azharuddin. This was also the first time in 25 years that India have enforced the followoon twice in a home series. The last instance was in the 1993/94 series against Sri Lanka in which India managed to whitewash them 3-0. 

For South Africa, their tour of India continued to get worse. Their Ranchi follow-on prolonged their nightmare. The last time South Africa followed on twice in a series was against England in 1964/65. In their home series, they followed-on in two consecutive Tests but they only managed to lose one as the four-match series ended 0-1 in favour of England.

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This was the third time that South Africa have followed on in two consecutive Tests. In the 2001/02 series between South Africa and Australia, South Africa followed on in the Sydney and Johannesburg as they lost the series 0-3 and 1-2 respectively. The Proteas are staring at a whitewash against India for the first time and it will not be a good way to start their ICC World Test Championships on a high.

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