Indian team advised for cautious outlook for New Year celebrations

The Indian team has been advised to celebrate New Year in a low-key manner. Notably, after a humiliating defeat at the hands of South Africa in the Boxing Day Test, the cricketers travelled to Cape Town, where the second and final Test match of the series will be played. Ahead of that, the team management has been asked to celebrate  New Year indoors with their respective families and among themselves.

This advisory is in light of security concerns in South African cities, where various forms of street crimes, like mugging, robbery, theft, snatching, and pick-pocketing are common. As per Cricbuzz, the players are advised to take general precautions even though Cape Town remains one of the safest cities in South Africa.

Optional training session for team India

India had an optional training session on Saturday, December 30. The focus of the training session was on Mukesh Kumar, who might feature in the second Test of the series. Skipper Rohit Sharma wasn’t impressed with debutant Prasidh Krishna in the first match and thus, changes are expected in the playing XI. The 36-year-old was also spotted advising the Bengal seamer, who has played only one Test match in his career so far.

Mukesh bowled to Rohit for almost 45 minutes in the nets. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin too practised hard but only one of the all-rounders is expected to feature in the playing XI. Both these cricketers bowled to Rohit for a long time, as Jadeja seemed completely fit.

On the other hand, Shardul Thakur suffered an injury scare while batting. While facing throwdowns, the ball hit his left shoulder and following which, he was seen wearing an ice pack sling. However, he completed the training session but he will be monitored closely.

Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal had a rough time in the nets, while Abhimanyu Easwaran looked much smoother. However, the team management is more likely to back the youngster over the Bengal opener.