Team India head coach Rahul Dravid was all praise for Indian skipper Virat Kohli ahead of the Boxing Day Test against hosts South Africa on Saturday. Dravid was spearheading India’s formidable batting order when Kohli played his first Test match for the Asian giants in 2011. Nicknamed The Wall, the former Indian skipper batted alongside Kohli in the latter’s debut match for India against the West Indies.
Dravid, who is looking forward to working with the Indian run machine in the South Africa series, backed the Test skipper to have a fruitful tour of the rainbow nation. Speaking at the traditional press conference ahead of India’s meeting with the Proteas in the 1st Test of the bilateral series, Dravid showered praise on the talismanic batter of the Asian giants.
“Virat has a huge role as a player and as a leader. He’s one of those players who loves Test cricket and wants to compete and play. Hopefully, he will have a great series that will really benefit the team,” Dravid lauded Kohli in the virtual pre-match press conference on the eve of the Boxing Day Test at Centurion.
Batting icon Kohli will hope to rewrite history in India’s tour of South Africa. The charismatic leader of Team India can become the first Indian skipper to win a Test series on South African soil. Kohli will also aim to shatter multiple records with the willow in the three-match Test series against the Proteas.
“It is a great challenge and a great opportunity for everyone. It is something you look forward to as a batsman, the chance to play away from home and test yourself against some really good opposition in their home conditions,” Dravid said in the press conference. Team India will play the 1st Test of the three-match series at Centurion’s SuperSport Park on Sunday.
India suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Proteas when the Kohli-led side last visited South Africa for a bilateral Test series in 2018. “A lot of your career is defined by those sorts of performances, so it is a great opportunity for everyone in the group to put in the performances that are something that they can remember, and people will remember them for,” Dravid added
