Shastri urges team to embrace South African challenge
Mumbai: India chief coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday urged the squad to embrace the challenges awaiting them in the tour to South Africa, as he insisted that they have prepared well.
India will play South Africa in three Tests, six One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). The first Test begins on January 5.
Test matches in South Africa have always been tough for India who have never won a Test series there.
"We know how tough this tour of South Africa is. That's the beauty about their profession -- wanting challenges and embracing it and that's what we are looking for," Shastri said at the pre-departure media conference.
"We toured Australia in 2014 and we did a pretty good job. We have done well in England. In 2015, we toured Sri Lanka and it had great tracks on which the ball seamed and swung. So preparation has been good."
Shastri said that the players are playing together for the last few years and that will help them flourish in South Africa.
"These boys have been on the road together for the last 4-5 years -- the same team. The nucleus has been the same so that should help a long way," the former all-rounder added.
"One and half years will define Indian cricket. Tour of South Africa, Australia and England. This will be a better team after this 18 months."
Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who skipped the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty-20 International (T20I) series against Sri Lanka to get married, said the team is on the right track and he has full faith in the abilities of his team.
Many experts said that this is the toughest tour of India due to the playing conditions. To which Kohli replied: " Cricket is played with bat and ball. Conditions don't matter. I have no doubt in the ability of the team. We are on the right track."
In South Africa, the batsmen will face extra bounce and pace from the surface. The weather conditions there are also different as compared to the sub-continent.
"You need to play cricket for a long period of time to win abroad. The hunger this time is the same. We want to do what we couldn't the last time around," he added.
Kohli, who was away from cricket from after the third Test match against Sri Lanka in December, said it is not difficult to switch to cricket.
"I was away for something which was much more important in my life but I had been training. Switching back to cricket was not difficult at all. Cricket is in my blood," the Delhi batsman said.
The 29-year-old also said that adjusting to the weather conditions in South Africa won't be a big problem for the players.
"We have many days to get used to conditions there. More than 2-3 sessions to replicate Test situations and we get to know how the conditions are at different sessions of the day. We will try and follow those procedures," he added.
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Terror threat: Security heightened near key religious, heritage sites in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Security was tightened across key religious and heritage sites in Delhi on Saturday, including areas around the Red Fort and parts of Chandni Chowk, following intelligence inputs suggesting a possible terror threat, an official said.
Security agencies issued an alert on a possible explosion threat near Red Fort, a major tourist destination and high-security zone, after Central intelligence agencies indicated that Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) has allegedly kept prominent religious places in India on its target list.
Sources said specific inputs suggested that a temple in the Chandni Chowk area could be among the potential targets.
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While the intelligence inputs are being verified and assessed, security has been stepped up in and around sensitive religious places and crowded public areas, they added.
Intelligence agencies indicated that LeT could be attempting to carry out an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)-based attack. The alleged plan is reportedly linked to attempts by the terror group to avenge the February 6 blast at a mosque in Islamabad, Pakistan, sources said.
Central agencies and Delhi Police units are maintaining close coordination, and surveillance has been intensified through CCTV monitoring, vehicle checks and deployment of additional personnel at vulnerable points. Bomb disposal squads, dog squads and quick reaction teams have also been placed on standby at strategic locations, they added.
The alert comes in the backdrop of the deadly car explosion near the historic Red Fort on November 10, 2025, which killed at least 13 people and injured more than 20 others. The blast occurred when a car loaded with explosives detonated near Gate No 1 of the Red Fort metro station, igniting multiple vehicles nearby and causing panic in the densely populated area.
Security agencies have urged people to remain vigilant and immediately inform police or emergency services about any suspicious objects or activity. However, officials said there is no cause for panic and that the measures are precautionary in nature.
Further intelligence gathering and verification of inputs are underway, an official said.
