Shubman Gill was at his silken best during Indian team's intra-squad training game here at the Tuks Oval on Thursday even though there wasn't an opportunity to get a glimpse of that enchanting sight.
Tahir felt left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep was able to grab the opportunities that came along his way.
Here are different scenarios depending on how the series pans out
India could be dislodged from the top position in the ICC One-day rankings by South Africa if the Proteas manage to whitewash Pakistan in a five-match home series starting on Sunday.
England will rest Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Mark Wood for the three-match one-day international series against South Africa starting in Cape Town on February 4. Worcestershire seamer Pat Brown, Somerset batsman Tom Banton and the Lancashire pair of Matthew Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood received their maiden call-ups.
South Africa's legendary batter Hashim Amla has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, bringing curtains down on an illustrious career spanning two decades.
Indian team will certainly feel a sense of deja vu when it takes on a red-hot South Africa on Sunday in what will be a battle of equals
A buoyant India will look to cash in on South Africa's injury woes, compounded by the loss of captain Faf du Plessis, when the two sides meet in the second One-Day International in Centurion on Sunday.
Pooran Or De Kock? Dhawan or Pandya? Whose batting topped Saturday's contest?
'It turned out to be a special day. I have never thought about taking five wickets. I just wanted the team to win which is more important.'
South Africa have had well documented troubles against spin in the past and Rahul believes the returning Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal will be a handful for the hosts in the first two games, with the third to be staged at Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday.
Majestic cricket milestones mark T20 World Cup journey
KL Rahul will have to show drastically improved leadership acumen when he leads India against a buoyant South African side in the second ODI on Thursday.
The South African is firm about progressing further in his journey as an all-rounder.
South Africa continued their rampaging form in World Cup 2023 as they thrashed Bangladesh by 149 runs to jump to second place.
Images from the World Cup 2023 match between Australia and South Africa.
Kagiso Rabada is already in the pantheon of great South African fast bowlers, but if the Proteas play only a limited number of Tests a year, he can never surpass Dale Steyn's record of 439 wickets, reckoned Makhaya Ntini on Tuesday.
'Experience is the key. There are basically two ways to read leg-break bowling. Either you pick up from the wrists or wait for the ball to pitch. No two batsmen would employ the same technique'
Indian batsman Virat Kohli broke Proteas star AB de Villiers's record to become the fastest batsman to reach 7000 runs in One-Day Internationals.
Bruised and battered by Chris Gayle's mauling on Wednesday, England are faced with a must-win situation as they look for ways to contain South Africa in their ICC World Twenty20 match in Mumbai on Friday.
Images from the World Cup match between South Africa and England at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
They have looked more comfortable setting targets than chasing one though, and they will expect more penetration from their bowlers against a resurgent Australia.
Commanding wins in their two opening games have elevated South Africa as favourites in the World Cup but pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada insisted there is still a long way to go and the team is focused on taking one match at a time.
Faf Du Plessis' injury prompted selectors to fast-track the 23 year old to the hot seat.
With an unassailable 3-0 lead in hand, India need just one more win to claim their maiden ODI series triumph on South African soil.
South Africa's pace duo Anrich Nortje and Sisanda Magala have been ruled out of the World Cup because of injuries, Cricket South Africa confirmed on Thursday.
England expressed concern over the strength of the bio-secure environment after the positive result, while a South African team investigation has not yet shown how the unnamed player caught the virus.
Skipper Temba Bavuma has been woefully out of form since his return from injury and also missed the last two ODI due to illness.
'It's a nice feeling to hear 'Ram Siya Ram' in the background'
Quinton de Kock smashed 174 off 140 balls, his third century in five innings, to power South Africa to a 149-run victory against Bangladesh.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers has been suspended for two ODIs while his teammates have been fined 100 per cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over rate during their one-wicket defeat against New Zealand in the first ODI in Paarl.
Teen sensation Shafali Verma is set to make her eagerly-anticipated ODI debut as the Indian women's team seeks white-ball course correction against a strong world champion English side in the first game of the three-match series, in Bristol, on Sunday.
The embattled Australian team hit a 34-year low in the ICC ODI rankings, dropping to sixth place following back-to-back defeats against England in the ongoing five-match series. With defeats to the world No. 1 ODI team in London and Cardiff, Australia slipped to 102 rankings points and sits a fraction of a point below 2017 Champions Trophy winners Pakistan.
Australian team will be aiming to put up a much better batting performance with a rejigged playing eleven against an upbeat South Africa
Australia's fast bowling sensation Nathan Ellis to focus on white-ball cricket ahead of the upcoming ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.
Sadeera Samarawickrama top-scored with an unbeaten 91 to power Sri Lanka to an easy five-wicket victory against the Netherlands.
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes Australia will head into next month's test series against his team mentally scarred following their one-day whitewash by the Proteas. Australia suffered their first ever 5-0 one-day bilateral series defeat against South Africa month and will now host Du Plessis's side for three tests starting on Nov. 3, including a day/night game in Adelaide. "Beating Australia the way we did - really convincingly, not giving them a sniff - will leave a bit of a scar on them mentally. I appreciate it's test cricket, a different format," Du Plessis told reporters.
The Proteas have named five new players in the squad for the series starting next month.
Rain and an on-field injury which prevented South African opener Hashim Amla from batting spurred Sri Lanka to a 17-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the second One-dayer in Colombo on Tuesday.
'His experience is immense. In our batting chat today (Friday), we basically listened to him. He gave the batting chat as to what the conditions are like, what to expect.'
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