Ahead of the much-awaited two-match Test series between India and South Africa, former Proteas pacer Fanie De Villiers has given a tip to South African bowlers on how to get the wicket of Indian batting ace Virat Kohli. The red-ball phase of India’s tour will begin with a Boxing Day Test on December 26 at the SuperSport Park cricket stadium in Centurion.
It will be Team India’s third and final Test series in 2023 and first red-ball series since July. In early 2023, Rohit Sharma’s team hosted Australia in the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India won 2-1. Later in June after the IPL, the same Indian team lost to the same Australian team during the one-off match of the ICC World Test Championship at the Oval in June.
After that, India played 2 Tests in the West Indies, winning the series 1-0, but this particular series against the Proteas holds a lot of importance. It’s hard to believe, but India has never won a single Test series on South African soil.
India’s best result in South Africa in Tests was a 1-1 draw during the three-match series in the 2010/11 season with MS Dhoni leading the team. But since then, India have lost every Test series there with the most recent coming in 2021/22 when Virat Kohli was the captain.
With a new captain at the helm of the Indians, Rahul Dravid’s aim will be to win the series and become the first generation to defeat South Africa in their own backyard, which has proven to be an unthinkable task so far.
If they want to do it, one batsman who has to perform well is Virat Kohli, someone who has a very good track record in South Africa. The 35-year-old averages 51.35 in 14 innings (7 matches), including 2 Hundreds and 3 Fifties. Since he played his first Test match in South Africa in 2013, Kohli scored 719 runs with a best of 153 in January 2018.
In fact, Virat Kohli scored a century in his first Test match in South Africa during the first match of the 2013 series in Johannesburg. Therefore, a lot will depend on his form and he can once again be the catalyst for the Indian team’s success in outdoor conditions. His preparations were halted when Kohli flew back to India to address an emergency family issue, but he is expected to return in time for the Boxing Day Test.
“Be patient and play outside the stump”, Fanie De Villiers’ antidote to get Virat Kohli out
Every team in the world that faces India knows that Virat Kohli is a constant threat. Therefore, getting the wicket of him early on will be one of the key agendas for South Africa. And on how to get the wicket of him, former Proteas pacer Fanie De Villiers has advised South African players to consistently bowl him outside off, an area in which he has struggled the most in his career.
“The only way to get a Virat Kohli-type batsman out is a very orthodox way of bowling in the fourth channel and playing a waiting game. And he waits for that delivery that moves away a little.” – said De Villiers.
“As in the case of Tendulkar, it was foolish to always wait for the leg before (of an incoming delivery). Because he would hit you at mid-wicket. So he bowls those deliveries outside (to Virat) and waits for one to come in or leave.” – concluded De Villiers.
With just 3 days left for the first Test, preparations are in full swing but the main question is: Can Rohit Sharma become the first Captain to win a Red Ball Series in South Africa? Time will tell.