The Indian cricketers sweat it out for the third day in a row in Centurion ahead of the three-match Test series in South Africa. In a series of photos shared by BCCI on Monday, head coach Rahul Dravid was seen spending time with Test captain Virat Kohli perhaps to fine-tune him for the series-opening Boxing Day Test match at the SuperSport Park starting on December 26. Kohli has not been at his menacing best, particularly in red-ball cricket for the last two years. He averages 26 in last 13 Tests that he has played with a best of 74. For the record, Kohli's career average in Tests is still over 50. The last time the talismanic right-hander scored an international century was back in November 2019 in the day-night Test against Bangladesh.
Kohli, who had taken a short break after India's Super 12 stage exit from the T20 World Cup, would be eager to get back to his prime and help India win their maiden Test series on South African soil. And who better than former captain Dravid to discuss batting before a tough overseas tour.
In the absence of the experienced Rohit Sharma, who has been ruled out of the three-match series with a hamstring injury – there will be added responsibility on the Indian Test captain to steer the Indian ship against the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje.
In the photos shared by BCCI, the Indian pace battery was seen was see bowling in full tilt. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur and Ishant Sharma bowled in the nets.
India's wicketkeepers Wriddhiman Saha, Rishabh Pant honed their keeping skills and also batted in the nets.
Young Priyank Panchal, who has been drafted into the squad as Rohit's replacement worked on his batting in the practice session.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the first Test in Centurion is likely to be behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 concerns in South Africa.
Only some suite holders and delegates will be able to watch the match live though current COVID-19 restrictions implemented by the government allow for 2,000 fans, according Afrikaans language weekly newspaper 'Rapport' as quoted by 'news24' website.