Indian batting ace Virat Kohli will be back in action for the first time since the cruel ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final loss against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium on November 19. Not just him but captain Rohit Sharma will be back as well after both of them spent considerable time off the field to cope up as well as prepare for the 2-match Test series against South Africa.
Both of them also appeared in front of cameras for the first time since the World Cup final as the duo got together with Star Sports to discuss their love and the importance of Test cricket. For Rohit Sharma, it is going to be a very important series.
The Indian Captain has an imperative task in hand that no Indian captain has been able to do before. Yes, not even MS Dhoni or his teammate Virat Kohli. The Men in Blue have never won a red-ball series in South Africa, therefore the onus will be on Rohit Sharma to gain some redemption by becoming the first to do so.
And for Virat Kohli, this series holds more importance because of his terrific record in South Africa. The 35-year-old will look to build on and add more runs to his tally. He has 719 runs in 14 Test innings with an impressive average of 51.35 since playing his first game in South Africa in 2013.
It also includes 2 centuries and 3 half-centuries, however, in his last tour, he wasn’t able to score a century but this time around Virat Kohli will look to add at least another century in the 2-match Freedom Trophy Test series. If we talk about his Test record in 2023 then Kohli has scored 545 runs in 7 Test matches (5 against Australia and 2 against West Indies).
He also has 2 centuries and 1 half-century and given his determination, Virat Kohli will be hoping to add another one to cap off 2023.
“It Is An Honour To Play More Than 100 Test Matches For India”, Virat Kohli On His Red-Ball Career
Those who know Virat Kohli know that Kohli loves playing the longest format of cricket. In the recent interview with Star Sports, the Delhi-born Batter once again reminded us of the same and stated that he is a traditionalist who likes to play wearing the “whites”.
“As an individual, as a team, the job satisfaction of having played a long innings for your team, making your team and a Test match is probably the most special for me. I’m a traditionalist. You can say, so for me playing in whites, in Test cricket, is everything. That’s what I’ve grown up on and I’m really honoured that I’ve been able to play more than 100 Test matches for my country and I’ve managed to pursue my dreams of being a Test cricket.” – Virat Kohli said.
In the longest format of the game, Virat Kohli has scored 8676 runs in 187 Test innings with an average of 49.29, including 29 centuries as well as half-centuries with a highest score of 254 not out.
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