Cape Town: He has the highest regards for his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate and Indian skipper Virat Kohli simply does not understand why every Indo-South Africa series to be billed as a battle between him and AB de Villiers.
“It’s not like only two guys are playing in this series. AB is a great friend of mine. I respect the way he plays the game and I have always respected him as a person as well. But, when we are playing against each other — it’s not that we cross the line with each other, we are just not like that,” Kohli said.
Kohli also reminded that merely getting De Villiers out won’t ensure a Test match victory for India. “It’s just that we want to get AB out and the opposition will want to get me out or (Cheteshwar) Pujara or (Ajinkya) Rahane. The mindset I don’t think there is any different in terms of the mindset in any of the batsmen in the side. Unless you have that as a group, you don’t have too many chances of winning a series,” Kohli said.
Kohli is under no delusion as he knows what to expect when the much-anticipated Test series starts. “We are prepared about what we are going to get here. We are under no delusions as to what we are going to be presented with. We are ready for it,” Kohli said.
Shastri confident
Cape Town: India head coach Ravi Shastri feels the Indian team has the experience and bench strength to challenge the might of South Africa. He said the adaptability to foreign conditions will be the key to success for the visitors. “All I can say is the team is up for the challenge. If you asked me four years ago, I would have said no. But this team has gained in experience,” said Shastri. “The beauty of this team is it does not matter which opposition it is. You have got bench strength in your fast bowling department which is the key in taking 20 wickets,” he added.
press trust of india
