SA v IND - Kohli will be fired up, South Africa need to be careful: AB de Villiers issues warning
SA v IND: AB de Villiers warns South Africa of Kohli's threat in Test series
Two of India's biggest match winners, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, are skipping the white-ball leg of the upcoming South Africa series but will return to play the two Tests, starting December 26 in Centurion. Veteran and former Protean captain Ab de Villiers has warned the home side of the threat that a 'hurt' Virat will bring to the table.
Rohit and Virat, alongside Jaspreet Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Mohammed Shami (whose availability is subject to fitness) were all part of the 2023 World Cup final that India lost to Australia in a heart-breaking manner by six wickets.
Drawing a comparison with India's latest loss to South Africa's 2015 CWC semis defeat, de Villiers said he knows what space everyone must be in, thus putting South Africa on notice of what's coming their way.
De Villiers also noted that since Virat and Rohit are yet to win a Test series in this part of the world, both would be upbeat about creating history this time.
"When we lost in the semifinal in 2015, I can't remember, it was just a blur the next few months. I just didn't want to know cricket and wanted to just pack my kit away. What works for Virat and Rohit is that they haven't won a Test series in South Africa," AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
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"For them, this is a great opportunity. We had the opportunity to win an ODI series in India just a few months after the 2015 World Cup, and I was incredibly motivated as I thought this is the opportunity to show that we were still the best team in the world," he added.
We need to be careful - AB de Villiers
Having played with and against Virat enough to talk about him, de Villiers said Virat would be pumped up during the two-match Tests, trying to intimidate the opposition by getting a little verbal.
"I cannot wait to see the chest out, the eye contact with the opposition, and being a bit verbal with everyone. Because he will be fired up for this series. South Africa will need to be careful. This Indian squad is pure world-class," the legend added.
While the BCCI named relatively younger white-ball squads, with two separate captains in Suryakumar Yadav (T20Is) and KL Rahul (ODIs), the board has picked a full-strength Test squad, with Rohit returning to lead the side.
