All eyes will be on Virat Kohli as India take on South Africa in a two-match Test series. Kohli will return to action after being out of action for more than a month, following India’s World Cup final loss to Australia on November 19. India have not won a Test series in the Rainbow Nation, but came close to doing so during their last tour under Kohli’s leadership. India won the first Test, but conceded the series 1-2 against the Proteas, with Kohli missing the second Test due to a back injury. With wounds of India’s World Cup final loss yet to be healed, Kohli and Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, will look to create history by winning the Test series.
Ahead of the series, Kohli shed light on his Test journey so far, and how the format gives him immense “job satisfaction”.
“Test cricket for me is the foundation of the game. It’s history. It’s cultuure. It’s heritage. It’s everything. You come out on the otherside after four-five days, it’s a different feeling from anything else that you’ve experienced. As an individual, as a team, the job satisfaction of having played a long innings and winning your team a Test match is a special feeling. I am a traditionalist so playing in whites, playing Test cricket is everything. Really honoured to play more than 100 Tests for the country and pursue my dream of becoming a Test cricketer,” Kohli said in a video uploaded by Star Sports.
Test cricket is the toughest & most demanding but the best form of cricket!
It’s pure, rich in history & heritage, say legends @ImRo45 & @imVkohli ahead of the Final Frontier vs #SouthAfrica.
Tune-in the 1st #SAvIND Test
TUE, DEC 26, 12:30 PM | Star Sports Network pic.twitter.com/wZDFGlVAVC— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 23, 2023
This is Kohli’s first interview after the World Cup final loss.
It has been reported that Kohli has returned home due to a family emergency, just days before the start of the first Test against South Africa.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) sources, however, have confirmed that the iconic batter will be back in time for the first Test, which begins on December 26, against the Proteas in Centurion.
The Test series is set to mark the return of Kohli, along with skipper Rohit Sharma, pacer Jasprit Bumrah and a few other members of India’s ODI World Cup squad. Since India’s heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the World Cup final, Kohli, Rohit and some other senior members of the Indian team have been away from cricket.
Virat had missed India’s T20I series against South Africa as well as the white-ball assignments against South Africa. However, he made himself available for the Test series from the start.
It isn’t yet known what the ‘family emergency’ is that prompted Virat to return home just 4 days before the start of the Test series. But, the emergency doesn’t seem to be a complicated one as Kohli has assured the BCCI of his return to the team before the Test series begins.
(With PTI Inputs)
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