Watch: Rahul Dravid's Never-Seen-Before Act Stuns Everyone, Virat Kohli Follows Suit

27.12.2023 - 08:30 sports.ndtv.com

South Africa is a pace bowler's paradise. The bounce and swing on offer often make travelling teams ditch their traditional plans for a pace-heavy attack in a bid to ace the South African challenge.

As the Indian team reached Centurion for the first Test, expectations were from the management to field 4 pacers and just one spinner.

As fans looked to track the practice sessions to understand the bowling composition India will proceed with, many were left surprised to see the head coach Rahul Dravid bowl.

Ahead of the toss on Day 1 of the first Test, Dravid tried to bowl medium pace in the nets, producing never-seen-before scenes. Here's the video: pic.twitter.com/5Qj3lLxQsA Seeing Dravid bowl even his former India teammate Sanjay Bangar was left surprised. "Well, he did most of the things that were asked of him from a player point of view - opened the batting, batted at 3,5,6, kept wicket.

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There have been a lot of speculation regarding wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan not being included in the Indian cricket team squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. India took a 1-0 lead in the series after beating Afghanistan by 6 wickets in the opener in Mohali last night. Kishan has been out of action since opting out of the South Africa Test series in December 2023. Reports had stated that his trip to Dubai and appearance in a television game show may have resulted in the team management not selecting him for the series.

After Rahul Dravid's 'Play Domestic Cricket' Message, Ishan Kishan's State Association Says He "Hasn't Contacted"

The one Indian cricket team player who is being about the most these days is Ishan Kishan. He was part of the Indian squad for the South Africa Tour. However, mid-Tour Ishan Kishan returned home for a break. Then he was not picked for the India vs Afghanistan T20I series, and speculations and reports said that he might have been ignored due to disciplinary issue. However, Indian cricket team coach Rahul Dravid refuted such claims but also suggested that Ishan Kishan will have to play domestic cricket before making a comeback.

Rahul Dravid Said Yashasvi Jaiswal Will Open But Shubman Gill Takes His Place. This Is The Reason

India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl against Afghanistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Thursday in Mohali. The first T20I marks the start of the first bilateral series between the two teams. Apart from World Cup and continental events, India and Afghanistan have never played a series. Both teams had played a one-off Test a few years back. At the toss, India captain Rohit, who is back in the T20I side after a gap of 14 months, revealed that the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kuldeep Yadav will not feature in the series-opener.

Ishan Kishan To Not Make Direct Return To Test Cricket? Rahul Dravid Says "Play..."

There has been a lot of speculation regarding Ishan Kishan's exclusion from the Indian cricket team squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan. Several media reports claimed that Kishan was dropped due to 'mistrust' between him and the selectors. Kishan opted out of the South Africa Test series citing 'personal reasons' and has not play a game till now. While head coach Rahul Dravid made it clear that Kishan was available ahead of the first T20I match against Afghanistan, he also pointed out that his return will happen only when he plays domestic cricket and makes himself available for selection.

Vamika Turns 3: Why Virat Kohli-Anushka Sharma Don't Share Daughter's Photo - Revealed

Indian cricket team star batter Virat Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma's daughter Vamika turned 3 on Thursday. While Vamika has travelled to a number of foreign tours with her parents, both Kohli and Anushka have made it a point to not post pictures of the child on social media. Back in 2021, Kohli revealed the reason behind their decision. After Vamika's birth, Kohli revealed the good news on his Instagram and a fan asked about if he will be showing a glimpse of the bday. However, Kohli replied - “No we have decided as a couple to not expose our child to social media before she has an understanding of what social media is and can make her own choice,” he said.

Why Did Ishan Kishan Miss Out On Afghanistan T20I Series? Rahul Dravid Provides Clear Answer

There have been a lot of speculation regarding wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan not being included in the Indian cricket team squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan starting Thursday. Kishan ruled himself out of the Test series against South Africa citing personal reasons and some reports stated that his trip to Dubai and appearance in a television game show may have resulted in the team management not selecting him for the series. However, during the pre-match press conference ahead of the first T20I, head coach Rahul Dravid rubbished those rumours and said that Kishan has not made himself available for selection yet.