India seem determined to make a comeback in the second and final Test of their series against South Africa, scheduled to start on January 3 in Cape Town. The regular players participated in an optional training session at Newlands on New Year's Day. After playing the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, India arrived on New Year's Eve in Cape Town.
In preparation for the New Year's Test, India have been diligently working to bounce back from their disheartening performance in the series opener at SuperSport Park. Suffering an innings and a 32-run defeat, it marked one of India's most lacklustre performances in recent Test history.
India had a practice session on December 30 at SuperSport Park after the first Test ended early. The match in Centurion lasted only three days, and India scored 245 and 131 in two innings. Despite KL Rahul's 101 and Virat Kohli's 76 in the second went in vain as none of the other batters stepped up.
While Kohli refrained from participating in the optional training session in Centurion, he took charge of the team's drills and net session in Cape Town on New Year's Day. Displaying enthusiasm for the challenges in 2024, the 35-year-old wasted no time getting into the groove ahead of the second Test.
Head coach Rahul Dravid supervised the preparations as India engaged in centre-wicket training at Newlands. Captain Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal skipped the training session on January 1, despite being part of the optional session in Centurion on December 30. While Shardul Thakur experienced an injury scare in Centurion, reports suggest he is fit for the upcoming second Test.
Avesh Khan, who delivered an impressive performance for India A in their unofficial Test against South Africa A, joined the team on January 1 as the replacement for Mohammed Shami.
In a video shared by journalist Kushan Sarkar of the PTI news agency, Virat Kohli showcased an aggressive batting style in the nets. The renowned batter exhibited no restraint, confidently lofting off-spinner R Ashwin over his head after advancing down the track. Kohli also faced a local net bowler, a left-arm pacer, as the team focused on preparing Indian batters to handle the threat posed by left-arm fast bowlers.
Debutant Nandre Burger proved to be a challenge for India, as he claimed seven wickets across the two innings in Centurion. Marco Jansen also created difficulties for the Indian batters with his pace and bounce at the SuperSport Park.
India are expected to undergo another training session on the eve of the second Test.
The visitors' historical performance in Cape Town raises concerns, as they have never secured a victory at Newlands. In six Tests, India have suffered four defeats, including matches during their trips to South Africa in 2018 and 2022.
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