On the eve of the first Test, just before the toss on Day 1, Dravid surprised everyone by showcasing his skills as a medium pace bowler in the nets.
South Africa is a paradise for pace bowlers, with its abundant bounce and swing. It often compels visiting teams to abandon their traditional strategies and opt for a pace-heavy attack in order to conquer the challenges posed by South African conditions. When the Indian team arrived in Centurion for the first Test, the management was expected to field four pacers and just one spinner. Fans eagerly observed the practice sessions, hoping to decipher India's bowling composition. However, they were taken aback when they witnessed the head coach, Rahul Dravid, taking up the ball and bowling.
On the eve of the first Test, just before the toss on Day 1, Dravid surprised everyone by showcasing his skills as a medium pace bowler in the nets.
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Witnessing Dravid's bowling prowess, even his former India teammate, Sanjay Bangar, was left astounded.
"Well, he did most of the things that were asked of him from a player point of view - opened the batting, batted at 3,5,6, kept wicket. So this is something that I am surprised with. I have never seen Rahul Dravid do this. But it's always good because as coaches you do things that you aren't used to so to see. And there's nothing wrong with his action; he seems pretty aligned and just has to add a little bit of piece. Otherwise, he looks pretty alright," he said in a chat on Star Sports.
While observing Dravid engaging in bowling during practice, even Kohli decided to give it a try and rolled his arm to deliver a few medium-pace balls. This wasn't a new experience for Kohli, as he had previously bowled in the nets on numerous occasions. Surprisingly, Kohli even managed to take a wicket during the ODI World Cup in 2023.
For those unfamiliar, it's worth noting that Dravid has not only excelled as a wicketkeeper for India but has also occasionally showcased his bowling skills in international cricket. In fact, he has five wickets to his name in international cricket, with four in ODIs and one in Test matches.
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 "IND vs SA: Rahul Dravid turns medium pacer alongside Virat Kohli before Centurion Test, video goes viral")
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