Team India is currently preparing for the second Test against South Africa after an embarrassing loss in the Boxing Day Test. Star Indian batsman Virat Kohli and head coach Rahul Dravid got into a long discussion during the optional practice session.

The Rohit Sharma-led team suffered a disappointing defeat by an innings and 32 runs during the series opener at Centurion. The visiting team struggled to score against the South African pacers on a friendly surface, posting totals of 245 and 131 runs in both innings.

The Boxing Day Test match concluded in three days, with KL Rahul and Virat Kohli being the only batsmen to show resistance. Rahul registered a remarkable 101 runs in the first innings, while Kohli contributed scores of 38 (64) and 76 (82) in both innings of the match.

Leadman Kagiso Rabada and debutant Nandre Burger wreaked havoc on the opposition’s batting line-up, each picking up seven wickets. Rabada was particularly effective in the first innings, claiming five wickets. Burger dismissed key Indian batsmen during the recent match.

Watch – Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid had a long conversation

In a video posted by a user on X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli engaged in a detailed conversation during today’s practice session in Cape Town. It seemed like they were both trying to convey their perspectives or ideas to each other.

The cricket journalist noted that captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja abstained from the optional practice as they had participated in the previous session. In addition to three players, all other members of the team actively participated in the training session.

There was a long discussion between coach Rahul Dravid and former captain Virat Kohli during today’s practice session in Cape Town. It seemed as if they were both trying to convince each other. Captain Rohit Sharma, Yashashvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja did not turn up for the optional practice session.… pic.twitter.com/EB2dqQRpDV

– Abhishek Tripathi / Abhishek Tripathi (@abhishereporter) January 1, 2024

In a video on his YouTube channel, former cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath criticized Rohit Sharma and claimed that Virat Kohli is still the top batsman in the Test team. Badrinath expressed concern over Rohit’s performance as an opener outside India.

“Kohli has a great track record as a Test leader. He has scored more than 5000 runs at an average of 52 as captain. He has 40 wins and 17 losses in 68 Tests. He led us to a tremendous victory in the Australia series. He has the most wins as a Test captain after Graeme Smith, Ricky Ponting and Steve Waugh,” Badrinath said.

“Why is he (Virat) not the captain of the Test team? I want to raise this valid question. He is a better Test batsman. There is no comparison between Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He is a great player in terms of Test cricket. He has scored runs everywhere.”

“Why doesn’t he lead and is he a weaker player? As far as I’m concerned, he is a weaker player who has not yet shown the starting ability of him. He’s been in and out. We can consider all that. But I think Rohit Sharma has not proven to be an opener outside India. Why is he there?

Virat Kohli has shown an outstanding performance in South Africa, scoring 833 runs at an impressive average of 52.06. In contrast, Rohit Sharma faced challenges in red-ball cricket, managing only 128 runs in 10 Test innings at a disappointing average of 12.8.

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