Players.bio is a large online platform sharing the best live coverage of your favourite sports: Football, Golf, Rugby, Cricket, F1, Boxing, NFL, NBA, plus the latest sports news, transfers & scores. Exclusive interviews, fresh photos and videos, breaking news. Stay tuned to know everything you wish about your favorite stars 24/7. Check our daily updates and make sure you don't miss anything about celebrities' lives.
CAPE TOWN : Stand-in captain Dean Elgar said he will not let the emotions of his final international outing impact the game when South Africa take to the field on Wednesday for the second, and final, test against India at Newlands.
The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will have some sleepless nights before selecting the squad for T20s against Afghanistan with veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli keen to play the World Cup in June. Both Rohit and Kohli have not played in the shortest format for India since the T20 World Cup semifinal against England in November 2022. The two national selectors, Shiv Sunder Das and Salil Ankola are both in South Africa and will be joined by their chairman Agarkar during the course of the second Test at Newlands.
Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma is well known for his witty quips during press conference and ahead of the second Test match against South Africa, he came up with another gem of a comment with regards to batting positions. During the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Rohit was asked about Shubman Gill batting at No. 3 instead of his preferred opening position. Rohit was quick to state that he believes that it is an individual decision on how batters decide to look at certain positions in the batting order and even quipped that since he started opening, the other positions seem wrong to him.
All eyes will be on the Indian cricket team's performance as it takes on South Africa in the second Test, starting in Cape Town on Wednesday. India lost the first Test by an innings and 32 runs. The Rohit Sharma-led team needs a win in order to draw the series. India have had a poor record in South Africa and have never won a Test at the venue. India have also fallen to no. 6 position in the World Test Championship points table. A win will boost their chances of qualifying for the WTC final.
The first Test of 2024 for the Indian cricket team is a do-or-die one. Against South Africa in Cape Town, the Rohit Sharma-led side needs a win to draw the series. after an embarrassing loss by an innings and 32 runs, the Indian cricket team has its task cut out for the second Test. There will be much intrigue surrounding India's playing XI too. Many experts have predicted that there will be two changes in the XI. Ravichandran Ashwin may make way for Ravindra Jadeja while Mukesh Kumar may replace Prasidh Krishna.
The fitness of Indian cricket team all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been the subject of a lot of speculation in the recent past. Pandya was ruled out midway into the Cricket World Cup 2023 after suffering an ankle injury during the match against Bangladesh. The injury meant that he also ended up missing the tour of South Africa and several reports suggested that he can even end up missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 along with his national team duties.
A veteran left-handed Test opener with remarkable numbers will ride into the sunset having been the pillar of strength for his team’s batting line-up for years.
Rohit Sharma, the leader, will need to channelise the champion tactician that resides in him as India look to restore parity against South Africa and remain consequential in the World Championship points table when the second Test starts here on Wednesday. India are sixth in the nine-team table with 14 points (38.89 PCT) and a defeat will dent their standing further. Ravindra Jadeja, India's "Most Valuable Player" across formats, will come back to add the requisite middle-order batting balance and steady overs with the old Kookaburra but it will be the skipper's choice of third and fourth speed merchants that will define the embattled team's response.