Newlands, Cape Town: After facing a significant defeat in the first Test at Centurion, Team India showed resilience on New Year’s Day during an optional training session at Newlands. The focus was on preparing the batters to counter left-arm fast bowlers, a challenge posed by debutant Nandre Burger and Marco Jansen in the previous match.
Star batter Virat Kohli, coming off a strong performance in the first Test, showcased aggressive batting in the nets. Kohli, who played a pivotal knock of 76 in the second innings, was particularly assertive against R Ashwin, sending the ball over his head.
The training session, conducted under the watchful eyes of head coach Rahul Dravid, aimed to assist Indian batters in adapting to the left-arm pace. The emphasis on countering this challenge comes after the Indian batting lineup struggled against Nandre Burger’s seven-wicket haul in the first Test.
Skipper Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal were absent from the New Year’s Day training session. However, all three players had participated in an optional session at the Supersport Park on December 30.
Rohit Sharma, who faced a tough time against South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada in the first Test, was focused on batting against Mukesh Kumar during the two-hour session. The Indian captain aimed to fine-tune his skills, and the team is gearing up for a spirited comeback in the second and final Test starting Wednesday.
