Before the Centurion Test, Virat Kohli, the previous captain of India, had traveled to London. He later rejoined the squad at SuperSport Park in preperation for the Boxing Day Test on Tuesday. India’s head coach Rahul Dravid was noticed giving Kohli a heat welcome to the practise on the eve of the match. Fans are adoring the video, which has been making the rounds on social media.
Watch the video right here:
Rahul Dravid hugged Virat Kohli within the observe session.
 Video of the day pic.twitter.com/Fqi6RpOzE1
 CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) December 25, 2023
As the clock ticks forward of the primary Test between India and South Africa at Centurion, a Boxing Day affair, the Indian spin veteran is simply 11 wickets away from coming into an elite firm of bowlers, the ‘500 Club’. (IND vs SA 1st Test: A Look At Virat Kohli’s Boxing Day Test Stats Over The Years)
The first Test of the 2-match sequence will likely be ranging from Tuesday at Centurion. For the primary time in round 5 months, Ashwin will likely be seen weaving his spin net in whites.
In 94 Tests, Ashwin has taken 489 wickets. These wickets have come at a median of 23.65, with the very best bowling figures of seven/59. He has 34 5-wicket-hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls in Tests.
He may change into the second-quickest to 500 Test wickets, with Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan on the prime with 87 matches. Ashwin can change into the second Indian after Anil Kumble and the ninth total bowler to get to 500 Test wickets.
In 13 Tests towards South Africa, Ashwin has taken 56 wickets at a median of 21.94, with the very best bowling figures of seven/66. In South Africa although, he has not been at his finest, taking solely 10 wickets in six matches at a median of fifty.50, with 4/113 as his finest figures.
The different members of the ‘500 Club are’:
-Muttiah Muralitharan
In 133 Tests, Muralitharan has taken 800 wickets at a median of twenty-two.72 and a strike charge of 55.04. His finest bowling figures are 9/51 in white clothes. With 67 fifers and 22 ten-wicket hauls, Murali is probably the most profitable Test bowler ever.
-Shane Warne
In second place in Aussie spin wizard Shane Warne, who performed 145 Tests for the Aussies. In these matches, he took 708 wickets at a median of 25.41 and a strike charge of 57.49. His finest bowling figures are 8/71. He has 37 5-wicket hauls and 10 ten-wicket hauls. Warne is probably the most profitable Australian bowler ever.
-James Anderson
England’s ageless surprise is in third place, with 690 wickets throughout 183 Tests at a median of 26.42 and a strike charge of 56.83. His finest bowling figures are 7/42. He has taken 32 5-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls in Tests. Anderson just isn’t solely England’s most profitable bowler, but additionally probably the most profitable pacer within the historical past of the sport, nonetheless going sturdy at 41 years of age.
-Anil Kumble
Nicknamed as ‘Jumbo’, Kumble lives upto this title with some actually gigantic figures and data in Test and worldwide cricket. With 619 wickets in 132 matches at a median of 29.65, he’s India’s finest bowler ever statistically. His finest figures are 10/74 and is the primary-ever Indian to get a ten-wicket haul in a single Test inning. Attached to Kumble’s title are 35 5-wicket hauls and eight ten-wicket hauls.
-Stuart Broad
Stuart Broad is the second-most profitable pacer in sport’s historical past, with the primary being his associate-in-tempo, James Anderson. In 167 Tests, Broad has taken 604 wickets at a median of 27.68. His finest bowling figures are 8/15. He has 20 5-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls in Tests.
-Glenn McGrath
The ‘Pidgeon’ as he’s recognized to the followers, McGrath is probably the most profitable Australian pacer ever and the equal of Shane Warne in quick bowling. In 124 matches, he took 563 wickets at a median of 21.64 and a strike charge of 51.95. His finest bowling figures are 8/24. With 29 5-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls, McGrath terrified batters worldwide for years.
-Courtney Walsh
The West Indies pacer was the primary-ever bowler to take 500 Test wickets. In 132 Tests, he took 519 wickets at a median of 24.44 and a strike charge of 57.84. His finest bowling figures are 7/37. He took 22 5-wicket hauls and three ten-wicket hauls in Tests.
-Nathan Lyon
In 123 Tests, Lyon has taken 501 wickets at a median of 30.85 and a strike charge of 63.10. His finest bowling figures are 8/50. He has 23 5-wicket hauls and 4 ten-wicket hauls within the longer format. He is the eighth-highest wicket-taker within the recreation. (With ANI inputs)