The Indian cricket team is in South Africa for a multi-format tour that got underway with a T20I series on Sunday. For the white-ball leg of the tour, the tourists will be without two of their star cricketers in Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the duo set to be part of the Test series that starts later this month.
The three-match T20I series will be followed by three ODIs and then two Tests.
It will be India’s second series of the ongoing third ICC World Test Championships cycle after the tour of West Indies earlier this year during which they registered a 1-0 win.
India have been a dominant force in red-ball cricket but South Africa remains the only country where they are yet to win a Test series. During their tour of the rainbow nation in 2021-22, the Kohli-led side took a 1-0 lead raising hopes before the hosts bounced back to complete a 2-1 series win.
This time around, they will be led by Rohit who recently oversaw India’s memorable ODI World Cup campaign where they fell short of the title win after an unbeaten run to the final.
South Africa legend Jacques Kallis feels that for India to beat South Africa this time around, the form of Kohli will be vital.
“He’s (Kohli) a massive player, no matter where it is. Having played here quite a bit and had a fair amount of success. He’ll be able to pass that knowledge on to the other guys, especially the younger guys and give them ideas on how to manage these conditions and then what to expect,” Kallis said on Star Sports.
Kohli has a fine record in Test cricket on South African soil having scored 719 runs in 14 innings while averaging 51.36.
“I am sure he will want to have a big series here in South Africa. He has been in good form. I think he will play a major role in helping India. If they are to win here, he will have to have a good series,” Kallis said.
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