At Centurion’s SuperSport Park, India and South Africa began their two-match Test series. Temba Bavuma, the captain of South Africa, won the toss and chose to field. Test rookie Nandre Burger’s spell in the 16th over saw Virat Kohli give Shreyas Iyer some batting advice that went viral over the stump mic. He said, “Ball dekhte rehna hath mein uske, kidhar pakda rahega.”
Virat Kohli to Shreyas Iyer – “Ball dekhte rehna hath mein uske, Kidhar pakda rahega (Keep looking at the ball in his hand, where will it be held)
My Idolo Dedication For Team India 🥹❤️🇮🇳#INDvsSA #Selfless #Tests #Steph #WTC25 #Gill #NewYear #Luka pic.twitter.com/8fwWZovdfZ
— Shivendra Yadav (@Shivvvydv08) December 26, 2023
India’s batting assignment became challenging after Kagiso Rabada removed captain Rohit Sharma with just 13 runs scored at the start of the game. The next opener, Yashasvi Jaiswal, could only muster 17 runs before he was out at 23, and then Shubman Gill went shortly after, leaving India at 24 for three. The exceptional bowling abilities of newcomer Nandre Burger greatly exacerbated India’s early problems.
Veteran batsmen Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer then offered consistency, leading India to a score of 92.
After lunch, Rabada’s excellent bowling claimed both Iyer and Kohli. In addition to scoring 31 and 38 runs apiece, Rabada’s outstanding performance saw him dismiss Iyer with a nip backer and Kohli with an outswinger.
India found themselves at 121/6 after Rabada’s outstanding delivery to Ashwin. But after guiding the tail and scoring 84 runs with Nos. 8, 9, and 10, KL Rahul emerged as the day’s finest batsman.
India had scored 208/8 at the end of the day’s play, with Rahul still undefeated at 70 off 105 deliveries, which included 10 boundaries and two maximums. Kagiso Rabada showed off his bowling prowess for South Africa and demonstrated why he is considered one of the best in the game with a fantastic five-wicket haul. The opening day of the series began with him establishing the tone with his pace and bounce, which consistently caused difficulties for the Indian batsmen.
After an exciting 59 overs of Boxing Day Test cricket, the play was ultimately called off for the day due to dwindling light and continuous rain.
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