IND vs SA Live: Marco Jansen makes dream debut – Virat Kohli stepped out with the aim to end 2021 with a century. His barren run had already stretched to 768 days and the second innings in Centurion was the stage where he could have delivered. But Marco Jansen, whom he called up to the nets at Wanderers on 2018 tour, extended his poor run. The South African pacer, making his Test debut, made a fulfilling start to Test cricket, scalping four wickets including Ajinkya Rahane, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Siraj besides Kohli. Follow India vs South Africa Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
The delivery he was dismissed off on Wednesday was no way identical to the ones he faced at the Wanderers nets three years ago. On Wednesday, Kohli tried to drive a delivery that was outside off stump and gave away a catch to Quinton de Kock behind the stumps. But he set him up, bowling the same deliveries that he used in 2018 to trouble him at the nets.
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
IND vs SA Live: Marco Jansen troubled Kohli at Wanderers nets in 2018
In 2018, at the Wanderers nets, Marco Jansen pitched on the middle stump and Kohli edged it. The next ball, he beat Kohli with an identical delivery. As Kohli shifted and tried to make amends, Jansen sent the next one in the same area and beat him again. The three deliveries that Jansen managed to beat him, Umesh Yadav took advantage of that, cleaning up his stumps on the next delivery.
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
The 17-year-old teenager made his Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test and frustrated Kohli, possessed by the same form he found against the Indian captain three years ago. That day in 2018, Kohli walked up to Jansen and told him “Good ball.” Those words rang in Marco Jansen’s ears in the next few months.
“It’s an incredible feeling to know that you’re bowling to the best batsman in the world,” Marco told Cricbuzz then.
Also Read: IND vs SA LIVE: Virat Kohli spends two whole years without a century, extends drought to 768 days
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
IND vs SA Live: How it all panned out?
However, despite interest from Rahul Dravid, Marco Jansen might not have bowled against Kohli in 2018. He was playing in Potchefstroom while India were camping in Johannesburg. But the local bowlers were unavailable as they were supposed to play a Sunday league game and an opportunity opened up for him.
He along with his brother Duan took a 120km-long bus ride from Potchefstroom to Johannesburg and he was ready.
IND vs SA Live: Selfie with Dravid that was profile picture for over a year
But it was current India head coach Rahul Dravid whose words of encouragement shaped Marco’s career. It was then India A coach Rahul Dravid who was impressed with the two brothers. On India A tour, Dravid saw Duan and Marco Jansen two brothers making a name for themselves in local cricket scene and advised then head coach Ravi Shastri to call them up at the nets. The left-arm seam would have helped Virat Kohli & Co prepare.
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
“They had profile pictures with Dravid for I don’t know how long. They would keep showing it to everyone and it is obviously a matter of great pride for me because Dravid is a legend and when he tells my boys to keep up the good work, it means a lot,” Koos Jansen, father of Marco told Cricbuzz.
Yet another ill-fated cover drive by Virat Kohli ❌
For the second year in a row, Kohli makes no international 💯 as the long wait stretches 😬#SAvIND #WTC23 pic.twitter.com/6DKfExwWON
— CricWick (@CricWick) December 29, 2021
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
Two years later, Mumbai Indians called Marco Jansen up at the nets and he made his IPL debut a year later. All of it thanks to Rohit Sharma who clearly saw the talent in him to dislodge Kohli one delivery at a time.
As fate would have it, Marco Jansen made his Test debut with Rahul Dravid as the head coach of India and Virat Kohli the opposition captain and some thousand miles away, Ravi Shastri amongst the panellists in Mumbai. Jansen after meagre returns in the first innings, rattled India’s favourites, scalping 4/55 including KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Siraj.
IND vs SA LIVE: From bowling out Virat Kohli in a net session to picking his wicket in a Test match, Marco Jansen realizes his BIG DREAM
