New Delhi: Former South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis reckons that India’s star batter Virat Kohli’s form and knowledge about the rainbow nation’s conditions will be key to India’s success in the upcoming two-match test series, scheduled to start from December 26.
Jacques Kallis believes that the former India skipper Virat Kohli will be keen to share his experience and knowledge about the South African conditions with youngsters, who are yet to play on these bouncy pitches.
Speaking at India's official broadcasters for the series, Kallis said, "I am sure he will want to have a big series here in South Africa. He has been in good form. He will play a major role in helping India. If they are to win here, he will have to have a good series."
Virat Kohli was the leading run-getter for India in the last World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, racking up 932 runs from 30 innings. Kohli has started the current WTC cycle with a boom, smashing a century and a fifty against West Indies on their home turf in July.
Kohli, who is probably in the form of his life, scored a whopping 765 runs, the most by any player in the single edition of the ODI World Cup to receive the Player of the Tournament award.
"He's a massive player, no matter where it is. Having played here quite a bit and had a fair amount of success," Kallis added.
"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,” remarked Kallis, who has amassed most runs for South Africa across formats.
The 35-year-old, laced two centuries against the Proteas, when he last toured to the country. However, India had suffered a 1-2 loss in South Africa during the last World Test Championship cycle.
Kallis also mentioned, “This is a good Indian team but South Africa is tough to beat in South Africa. Centurion will probably suit South Africa and Newlands will probably suit India. It will be a good series and it will come down to one or two sessions where one team might play better than the other. It would be a closely-fought contest."
Also read
