IND vs SA: Watch - "Ball Dekhte Rehna..." - Virat Kohli's Interesting Conversation With Shreyas Iyer Goes Viral

Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s wickets in the second session triggered a mini-collapse for India on day 1 of the first Test in Centurion. South Africa won the toss after a delayed start and quick wickets from Kagiso Rabada helped South Africa to hold the advantage so far in the Test match.

Kohli came to the wicket with India losing three early wickets at 23/3 with Rohit Sharma (5) Yashasvi Jaiswal (17) and Shubman Gill (2) all back in the pavilion. Kohli held one end up with Shreyas Iyer (31) as the dup stitched a 68-run stand.

During the partnership between himself and Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli looked very upbeat and played every ball on its merit. He played 68 balls for his 34 hitting five bours in his innings.

Meanwhile, in the 16th over from Nandre Burger, Virat Kohli asked Shreyas Iyer to watch the release of the ball closely from Burger’s hands. The left-arm pacer playing his debut Test match dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal in the 10th over of the Indian innings taking his first Test wicket in his maiden Test match.

Watch – Virat Kohli’s Conversation With Shreyas Iyer

“Ball dekhte rehna hath mein uske, kidhar pakda rahega” (Keep looking at the ball in the bowler’s hand” were the words from Virat Kohli to Shreyas Iyer.

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

It was Kagiso Rabada who ended the crucial stand between Kohli and Iyer just after lunch and turned the momentum of the match in India’s favor. Rabada first dismissed Iyer with a peach of a delivery in the 37th over. Kohli then edged one from Rabada in the 31st over to end his innings on 38. India went down from 92/4 to 212/6 with Ravichandran Ashwin (8) also dismissed cheaply.

Also Read: IND vs SA: Watch – Kagiso Rabada Castles Shreyas Iyer With A Peach In Centurion

India opted to play with Ashwin over Jadeja and formed a four-man pace attack with Shardul Thakur being the seam-bowling all-rounder. The Men in Blue are yet to win a Test series on South African soil.

Last time around in 2021, India lost the Test series 2-1. Virat Kohli stepped down from captaincy after leading India in the first Test. India won the Centurion test but then went on to lose the second and the third Test in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The senior players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma along with Ravichandran Ashwin are back to playing Test cricket after a break post the World Cup. India reached the finals but lost out to Australia.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma sounded determined about winning a Test series in South Africa this time around. As a batter, he did not have the best of starts as he was dismissed for just 5. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid spoke about getting adjusted to the conditions in their quest to win the first Test series against South Africa in South Africa.

“We encourage the players to play (in a manner) they feel most comfortable. In the end they are judged by the results they produce. They know that,” Dravid said.

“We want to encourage them in the way they play but also keeping the conditions in mind and certain, sort of tactical thing they have to adopt when they play in South Africa. The nature of ball, how it behaves over 80 overs, shots that they play early and later on. I think it’s about finding a balance between having cricket smarts to read the game and understand the situation, and of course allowing to express yourself. Hopefully, they make smart decisions” he said further.

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