Picture Credit: Twitter
The 3rd and series-deciding Test between India and South Africa kicked off in Cape Town on Tuesday and the first hour of Day 1 was nothing short of any action. Despite the conditions being slightly overcast, India decided to bat first after winning the toss and the stage was set for an enthralling contest between bat and ball.
As soon as the first delivery was bowled, it was quite evident that a big challenge was awaiting the Indian openers. The duo of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal battled out in the middle, missed a few, got some runs but somehow managed to survive for 11 overs. The score was 31/0 and India were off to a solid start.
Both openers dismissed in space of two overs
The pressure was certainly mounting after three consecutive maiden overs and as a result, KL Rahul succumbed in the very next over. Duanne Olivier got the breakthrough for his side and with the in-form KL back dismissed, India suddenly found themselves in a spot of bother.
As Cheteshwar Pujara walked out to bat, the broadcasters managed to capture something very interesting in the Indian dressing room. Just when Kagiso Rabada began the 13th over of the innings, Team India captain Virat Kohli was seen shadow practising with his helmet on.
It seemed like the 33-year-old was all set to come out and bat, presumably predicting that another wicket was on the way. As it turned out, Mayank Agarwal actually got dismissed on the 2nd delivery of over with the sequence of events leaving fans in shock.
Watch the video here:
As expected, the netizens were quick to express their opinions on the whole issue. While one of the users stated that Kohli was very sure that Mayank was about to edge a delivery (considering he was struggling in the middle), another fan hilariously termed it as 'black magic'.
Considering the trend of the series, where wickets have always fallen in bulk, it was actually quite a smart move from Kohli to begin his practice 5 minutes in advance to get into the zone ahead of going out to bat with his side in trouble.