After being rested for the home T20Is against Australia and the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour, Virat Kohli will finally be in the action when India takes on South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series.
The first Test will be played in Centurion from December 26 onwards and the second match will be played in Cape Town from January 3.
The ace Indian batter will return to action for the first time since India’s loss in the ICC World Cup 2023 final to Australia in Ahmedabad. Kohli finished the showpiece as the highest scorer, accumulating a record 765 runs in 11 games including 3 hundreds and 6 fifties.
The team has won 2 Tests under his leadership in the previous couple of tours in South Africa but winning a series still remains a distant dream for India. He missed the two-day intra-squad match but rejoined the Indian camp in in Johannesburg after a short trip to London and began his preparation for the series.
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Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar revealed how Virat Kohli keeps Test cricket at the peak of his focus and prepares for the red-ball challenge.
“Test cricket is very special for him and keeps speaking about his fondness for the traditional format. He likes to keep his shoes always clean. You will always find them white. He even likes to keep his pads tidy and doesn’t want any marks on his bat. Unke joote aur pads hamesha chakaa chak rahte hain hain (His shoes and pads are always neat and clean),” Bangar told Star Sports.
Kohli has a brilliant record in Tests in South Africa. In 7 matches, he has 719 runs with an average of 51.35. He has hit 2 centuries and 3 fifties and his highest score his 153.
“So, that’s how he feels about Test cricket. He prepares his kit before every series. If he is getting beaten in the nets, he would step aside, think about it for a while and get back with full intensity to focus on the next delivery. All these things come with experience and a motivated player always tries to give his best in every game,” he added.
