Indian Test captain Virat Kohli is all set to resume captaincy duties as India take on South Africa in the third Test at Cape Town from January 11. Ahead of the series decider, Kohli backed Test specialists Ajinkya Rahane and Chesteshwar Pujara – who have been under the pump over their inconsistency in the last few series.
Sharing his views on the experienced duo’s form, Kohli opined that the transition has to happen naturally and cannot be forced. Kohli also hailed Pujara and Rahane’s valuable fifties in the 2nd Test.
“I cannot pinpoint when we’ll have a transition in the team. The way Pujara and Ajinkya batted in the last Test that experience is priceless for us. I feel transitions do happen but they happen naturally, you can’t force them,” Kohli said on the eve of the third Test.
In the 2nd Test won by South Africa, both Rahane and Pujara scored fifties and added a 111-run partnership for the third wicket.
Kohli, who has not reached the three-figure mark since 2019, shared his views on his own form. Kohli reminded the fans that the 2014 England tour was one such phase where his form was the talking point.
“This is not the first time that people have talked about my form, it has happened a few times in my career. England in 2014 was one of those phases. I do not kind of look at myself from the lens the outside world looks at me with. The standards have been set by me myself, they are not an occurrence from the outside world, and more than anyone else, I take a lot of pride in doing the best for the team and wanting to perform for the team regularly,” said Kohli while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference.
“You have to understand that in sport, things do not go your way all the time but at the end of the day, I realise as a player I have been involved in key moments for the side and for me that is a matter of pride that I have been a part of partnerships when the team needed it. And eventually, those moments were crucial for us. Sometimes your focal point needs to shift,” he added.
