(Image Source: BCCI)
[Saba Sports News] India is set to challenge South Africa in a two-match Test series beginning December 26 at SuperSport Park, Centurion, with hopes of securing their first Test series win in the country. This series will see the return of experienced players Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, who were part of the ODI World Cup 2023 squad.
Kohli, who briefly returned home due to a family emergency, is expected to rejoin the team in time for the series. His record in South Africa is impressive, placing significant expectations on him to lead India’s batting. Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers offered insights into a potential strategy to dismiss Kohli, emphasizing the importance of orthodox bowling in the fourth stump channel and patience for a delivery that deviates significantly.
“Only way to get a Virat Kohli kind of batter out is a very orthodox way of bowling on the fourth stump channel and play a waiting game. And wait for that one delivery which nips a bit far away. You can’t attack a good player,” AB De Villiers shared.
De Villiers drew parallels between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar, suggesting that bowlers should consistently target the off-stump channel and wait for Kohli to err. He underscored the futility of expecting leg-before wickets against players like Tendulkar, advocating for a strategy of outside off-stump deliveries for Kohli.
“Like in case of Tendulkar, it was silly to always wait for leg before (to an incoming delivery). Because he would hit you through mid-wicket. So bowl those deliveries outside off-stump (to Virat) and wait for one to either nip away or nip in,” he added.
Kohli’s track record in South Africa includes 719 runs from 14 Test innings, averaging 51.35 with two centuries and three fifties, and a top score of 153. Notably, he was the top scorer in the 2018 series between the two nations, amassing 286 runs at an average of 47.66 and scoring the only century of the series.