Team India took a day off in South Africa on Sunday before the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 26. In an image posted on X (previously Twitter), the visiting team was captured posing at what appeared to be the entrance of a zoo.
Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, was joined by his family and teammates, including Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah, along with coaches Rahul Dravid, Paras Mhambrey, and Vikram Rathour, for a day off in South Africa.
They were seen posing at what seemed like the entrance to a zoo in a picture shared on X (formerly Twitter). You can see the post here:
https://x.com/criccrazyjohns/status/1738817017199906983?s=46
Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah recently rejoined the team after a long break post the World Cup. During their absence, Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul led the Men in Blue in a T20I series (1-1) and an ODI series (won 2-1) in South Africa.
Now, the team aims to secure their first Test series win in South Africa. Despite winning the opening Test in the previous tour during 2021-22, they lost the series 1-2.
“Pressure will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli” – Gautam Gambhir urges batters to shine in the South Africa Test series
Gautam Gambhir suggests that for India to win the Test series in South Africa, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli need to perform well. The ex-cricketer, now a commentator, mentioned that the Indian batting unit will face a tough challenge from the Proteas pacers.
In a recent statement to Star Sports, he stated:
“I believe the pressure will be on Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli because they have that experience. Bowlers definitely win you the series in SA but if your batters don’t put runs on the board, you won’t be able to create pressure for your bowlers.”
He added:
“Pace, bounce and seam. I believe your batting will definitely be under pressure because SA probably do not have the same batting they had in 2011 but their bowling still has the might – (Kagiso) Rabada, (Gerald) Coetzee, (Nandre) Burger and Marco Jansen.”
Gambhir also thinks the bowling unit will face challenges due to the absence of the injured Mohammed Shami. He conveyed:
“The bowling will be under as much pressure because there will be expectations from bowling. If Mohammed Shami had been there, India would have been all-out favorites. Mohammed Siraj is still young. So, I believe your bowling will be tested as much as your batting.”
In terms of batting, Kohli and Sharma have different track records in South Africa. Kohli has scored 719 runs in seven Tests with an average of 51.36, featuring two centuries and three half-centuries. In contrast, Sharma has only accumulated 123 runs in three Tests, averaging 15.38, and hasn’t scored a half-century.
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