On Wednesday, January 3, during the first session of Day 1 of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town, Virat Kohli got down to the sounds of the song “Ram Siya Ram.”
A trending video on X, previously known as Twitter, shows Virat Kohli gesturing in homage to Lord Rama whilst fielding in the first session. The gesture, a bow and arrow action, alludes to Ramayana’s tale where Rama defeats Ravana with the weapon, signifying the triumph of good over bad in Hindu beliefs.
This particular song is commonly featured whenever South African player of Indian descent, Keshav Maharaj, steps up to bat.
Check out the video below:
Getting back to Virat Kohli, the right-hander finished with two innings of combined scores of 76 and 38 to lead the Indian batsmen in the opening Test. The visitors fell down by an inning and 32 runs to begin the two-match Test series 1-0, despite his 76 in the third inning.
In the eight Tests that Virat Kohli played, he scored a total of 833 runs in South Africa, averaging 52.06. This included two scores over a hundred and four more over fifty. Virat Kohli is set to keep his strong batting performance going as India faces South Africa next.
Siraj’s five-for skittles South Africa for 55 in 1st inning
India’s first inning saw them dismiss South Africa for only 55 runs in 23.2 overs thanks to a masterful bowling effort from Mohammed Siraj. With a career-high 6/15, Siraj concluded his innings, while Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar both claimed two wickets.
Kyle Verrynne, a wicketkeeper-battler from South Africa, led the field in scoring with 15, while David Bedingham (12) was the only other player to achieve double digits.
After a brilliant bowling effort, the visitors will now want to consolidate at the bat and secure a 1-1 series win. India lost the first Test after being bowled out for 245 and 131.