Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma displayed intense focus during a net session in Raipur ahead of the second ODI against South Africa. Head coach Gautam Gambhir closely observed their preparations. India leads the series 1-0 after their win in Ranchi.
The second ODI between India and South Africa is set for December 3, 2025, at Raipur's Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium. Prior to the match, Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma engaged in rigorous net practice, with a video of the session going viral. Kohli played a long session against throw-down specialist Raghuw and Nuwan Senewiratne, mostly driving and flicking the balls, appearing sharp under the lights.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir closely monitored the senior players' preparations between the nets. Upon finishing, Kohli carried his bats on his shoulders and walked past Gambhir without any conversation, sparking discussions on their body language. In contrast, Rohit had a brief chat with the coach before heading inside.
India leads the series 1-0 following their victory in the first ODI in Ranchi on Sunday. Other players also showed intensity in the nets. Yashasvi Jaiswal played some clean shots, sending several balls over the leg-side boundary. He later bowled to Rishabh Pant, who was the last batsman and concluded the energetic session. A high-scoring contest is anticipated on the black soil pitch.
Probable Indian playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Washington Sundar, KL Rahul (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.