'Kohli left ego in the kit bag'

Gautam Gambhir lauded Virat Kohli for putting aside his ego and playing a patient knock in the first innings of the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The skipper top scored for Team India with 79 runs on Day 1 of the series-deciding encounter.

While reviewing the first day's play on Star Sports, Gambhir heaped massive praise on Kohli.

'Virat has said many times that when you go to England, you should leave behind your ego in India. Today, Virat Kohli left behind his ego in the kit bag and this knock reminds me of his very successful tour of England, where he got beaten many times but left a lot of deliveries outside off-stump,' Gambhir noted.

Kohli, Gambhir explained, was willing to bide his time and did not try to assert his dominance on the bowlers.

'Today, in the same way, he left deliveries outside off-stump, he got beaten as well but kept his ego with himself. He did not try to dominate the bowlers on every delivery,' Gambhir elaborated.

Kohli's run-scoring pattern reminded Gambhir of his knocks on the 2018 tour of England.

'Along with that, his scoring areas might have been through the covers, but he scored a lot of runs on his legs, which he has always done," Gambhir pointed out. "So we saw a glimpse of the knocks he played in England."

• India In South Africa