There were some amazing sights at the Indian net session. Wriddhiman Saha was giving Parthiv Patel catching practice. KL Rahul was practicing with Cheteshwar Pujara in the slip cordon. Shikhar Dhawan batted late and briefly.
If these were hints for the playing XI for the second Test, it is getting increasingly difficult to second-guess the choices of the team that can dare to drop Rahane for the opening Test. While on Rahane, skipper Virat Kohli said, “Things change in a matter of weeks, or just about five days. Before the first Test no-one thought that he (Rahane) should be in the eleven and now suddenly people are looking at the other option.”
He further added, “We certainly don’t go on opinions that are created outside, and talk of the town and all those sort of things. If players fit in the kind of balance we want to go in with then they will fit in.”
While praising Rahane, Kohli said, “He’s a quality player, he’s done well in South Africa, all conditions actually away from home. He’s probably been our most consistent and solid player away from home. I explained the reasons why Rohit started ahead of him. I’m not saying that Ajinkya cannot or will not start in this game.”
Virat had an advice for batsmen and a morale boost for bowlers, he said, “People need to apply themselves much better whether we are playing five batsmen or six. It doesn’t mean that if you are playing six batters, you can afford to go out and play loose shots. You still need to have a solid technique and go out there and be ready to face bowling spells which are going to be difficult.”
There has been a lot of talks about the nature of the Centurion pitch and how it would behave. South African skipper Faf du Plessis said he was surprised by the brown layer of grass on the pitch, a sight that was new to him. On the other hand, the Indian skipper said, “It looks likely a really lively pitch. Exactly what we expected it to be and we actually wanted it to be that way so that both teams are into the contest provided they play some good cricket.”
