Virat Kohli pulled off Stuart Broad’s bail-switch tactic at the striker's end and it brought luck to Team India on Day 2 of the Boxing Day Test against South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion.
A few balls later, India pacer Jasprit Bumrah broke a big partnership between Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi.
Before the start of the 29th over, Kohli changed the position of the bails. While Bumrah’s first five balls saw four dots and a boundary, he managed to take Tony de Zorzi’s wicket on the final delivery.
Kohli’s tactic could have been inspired by former England pacer Stuart Broad. During the fifth Test of the Ashes 2023, Broad flipped the bails from the stumps. Incidentally, his ploy disturbed Marnus Labuschagne’s concentration as the Australian batter edged the very next ball to Joe Root at slips.
After Virat Kohli’s act went viral on Wednesday (December 27), Broad started trending on social media.
Interestingly, Stuart Broad reacted to Circle of Cricket’s Instagram post about Kohli emulating his trick in the Centurion Test against South Africa.
“Did it really ?!” Broad replied to Circle of Cricket’s post.
Coming to the match, India posted 245/10 in their first innings in Centurion on the back of KL Rahul’s scintillating hundred (101 off 137 balls). Kagiso Rabada starred with the ball for South Africa, returning with a five-wicket haul (5/59).
In reply, the Proteas rode on opener Dean Elgar’s glorious century (115*) to post 194/3 on the board at Tea on Day 2. Debutant David Bedingham was batting alongside Elgar on 32*, with South Africa trailing India by 51 runs.
