[Watch] Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hit the nets as Indian batters prepare for Boxing Day Test vs South Africa

Indian batters, including comeback men Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, hit the nets in full flow ahead of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa in Centurion.

In a video shared by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), most of the batters were seen playing some aggressive shots in closed and open nets on what looked like greenish pitches.

Check it out here:

India and South Africa will lock horns in two Tests - the Boxing Day Test between December 26-30 and the second in Newlands between January 3-7 in 2024.

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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma's record in Tests in South Africa

This is Kohli and Rohit's first international assignment since the 2023 World Cup final loss against Australia. They skipped the five-match T20I series against the Aussies after the World Cup and the white-ball leg of the South African tour.

Doubts remain over their future in ODIs and T20Is. For the former, the question is whether they'd want to play till the 2027 World Cup whereas for the latter, it's about whether their form warrants a place for them in the 2024 T20 World Cup team.

Both points become futile in Tests. The two senior pros are almost irreplaceable in their positions in the longest format and would be key for India's aspirations to win a Test series in South Africa.

Kohli has one of the best records for an Indian in Tests in South Africa. In seven matches, he has 719 runs, including two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 51.36.

Rohit has contrasting numbers - 123 runs from four Tests at 15.38 without any 50-plus scores. However, these were during the 2013 and 2018 tours and he batted in the middle-order. In the last three years, Rohit has started opening in Tests and has drastically upped his technique.

It'll be the biggest test for him but if his returns in Australia and England are anything to go by, he'd improve that record in these two Tests.

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