IND vs SA: 'No I'll Bat Here' - Rohit Sharma Denies Leaving Nets After Centurion Setback - Reports

Indian captain Rohit Sharma was not able to continue his brilliant 2023 ODI World Cup form in the first IND vs SA Test match and was just able to score 5 runs. Rohit got out to Kagiso Rabada in both the innings and failed to leave any impact. Sharma’s dismissal in the second innings of the match was due to a beauty bowled by Rabada who was castled for a duck.

While the Indian team faced a horrible loss by an innings and 32 runs in the first Test played in Centurion, the second match of the series will be played from January 3 in Cape Town. Ahead of the second Test, Rohit took part in the optional practice session in Centurion and hit some solid shots in the nets.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma refuses to return from the nets

Rohit Sharma faced only Indian pacer Mukesh Kumar in the nets in Centurion for at least 45 minutes. Mukesh played the ODI and T20I series against South Africa and made his Test debut against West Indies. As per reported by PTI, Mukesh was asked by Rohit to especially bowl the ball which comes in.

In a video shared by an ‘X’ user, Mukesh Kumar asked Rohit Sharma whether the ball came in or not. Answering Mukesh, Rohit said, “Hawa mein andar aa raha hai. Par koshish kar angle se andar laane ka”, which meant “It swung in the air but try to bring the ball back in with the angle.”

मुकेश कुमार ने पूछा भइया गेंद अंदर आया क्या, रोहित ने कहा, हवे में नहीं घूमा, धीमे धीमे अंदर आया। मुकेश को कैसी गेंदबाजी करनी है ये समझाते रोहित….#INDvSA pic.twitter.com/HWS9UbzVeC

— Abhishek Tripathi / अभिषेक त्रिपाठी (@abhishereporter) December 30, 2023

The report further says that Rohit Sharma was beaten by Mukesh Kumar many times in the nets which was also appreciated by the Indian captain. Rohit had specially requested Mukesh to bowl balls on 4 to 6-meter lengths.

Rohit Sharma was also asked by India’s batting coach Vikram Rathour whether he will switch nets or not. Replying to him Rohit said, “Nahi yehin pe aur 10 minute bat karoonga”, which meant, “No I will bat here for another 10 minutes.”

Rohit Sharma was opened up by South African pacer Kagiso Rabada during the first Test match as he missed the length of the ball and lost his timber. Rohit is especially preparing for the same kind of deliveries and wants to make it big in the second Test in Cape Town.

The way Rohit Sharma was giving time to Mukesh Kumar, there is a huge chance that the Bengal pacer can get a chance in the second Test. Kumar can replace Prasidh Krishna, whereas there is also a chance that the newly added Avesh Khan might come into the team for Shardul Thakur.

Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna didn’t bowl well during the first Test match and produced a total flop show. Both the bowlers gave runs close to 5 runs an over and were not able to leave any impact during the match. Also, both the bowlers bowled a lot of looseners throughout the match due to which no pressure was created on the Proteas batsmen and it became easier for them to bat.

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is also expected to return to the team in the second Test.