World Cup 2023: Coach Rahul Dravid jokes about Virat Kohli being the 'menacing' 6th bowling option

Indian men's cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid has joked about the lack of a sixth bowling option in the squad by stating that Virat Kohli with his 'wong-footed' bowling action could fill in the gap.

Speaking to reporters on the eve of the World Cup match against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Dravid made the 'tongue-in-cheek' remark.

"Yes, we don't have the sixth bowling optionbut we have a wrong-footed inswinger menace whom we can back for a few overs," said Dravid.

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"He was close to bowling in the last game with the crowd pushing him todo so. The response of the team and the players hasbeen really good," he added.

Apart from his batting credentials, Kohli is adored by the fans for his unique bowling action. During the India vs Sri Lanka match, the fans in the stand were egging captain Rohit Sharma to give the ball to Kohli as the islanders lost sixwickets with only 14 runs on the board.

Kohli rarely bowls in international matches but had to roll up his arms, early in the tournament when Hardik Pandya walked out of the field due to an injury, mid-way into the over.

Watch | Hardik Pandya ruled out of remainder of WC

Hardik Pandya ruled out of the tournament

India have been rendered without a sixth bowling option after all-rounder Hardik Pandya was ruled out of the tournamentdue to an ankle injury. The management announced Pandya's absence on Saturday (Nov 4) stating that Prasidh Krishna had been named as his replacement.

In Pandya's absence, India brought in pacer Mohammed Shami to bolster the bowling attack and replaced bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur with Suryakumar Yadav to balance the batting. The changes have been exceptional for India as Shami took 14 wickets in three matches with two five-fors.

India, meanwhile, are on the top of the points table with seven wins in seven games, becoming the first team to qualify for the semis.

Squads:

IndiaSquad: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur, Ravichandran Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna

South AfricaSquad: Quinton de Kock(w), Temba Bavuma(c), Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Reeza Hendricks, Lizaad Williams

(With inputs from agencies)