“South Africa is a tough side” says Virat Kohli ahead of opening encounter
Six days into the World Cup 2019, and Team India is yet to appear. The Men in Blue shall be taking on South Africa at Southampton tomorrow (5th June). Indian captain and the leading batsman in ODIs, Virat Kohli, spoke to the press before team’s first match of the global event.
Captain Virat was bombarded with questions from the press fraternity, but the skipper handled every question with utmost care. The Indian team has had an opportunity to see all other teams play and observe the conditions as they are playing last. Virat said, “We are just happy to start playing in this World Cup. Bit of an advantage in understanding how the games have gone… conditions, etc. But it doesn’t matter on the particular day.”
Speaking about team combinations and reserves, Virat cleared the air by announcing Kedar Jadhav’s return to full fitness. “Jadhav is back to full fitness. He is back in the mix. Jadeja is also doing well. We have different options available and have all our options covered,” said the Indian captain.
When asked about the current 10-team format of the World Cup, Virat confessed that it will be a huge challenge. He said, “Looking at length and format of the World Cup, it’s a huge challenge. Not a bilateral where you play once and then again against the same team. It’s very tough. Game situation awareness is very important.”
There were some concerns regarding Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling form. The left-arm wrist spinner struggled in the IPL and was dropped by his franchise. Kohli backed the spinner, he said, “Kuldeep Yadav is hitting the nets quite confidently. He is hitting stumps in every single ball. So no matter he got wickets in the IPL or not, he is back in form here at the world cup.”
South African pace bowler Kagiso Rabada had termed Virat ‘immature’, but the batsman was unaware of the statement. “I am not going to use the press conference to talk against Rabada. If there is anything for me and Rabada to discuss, we can do that man to man. He is always a skilful bowler, and he has the potential to run through the opposition, so we need to look to play him accordingly,” Kohli said.
Virat was also pained by Dale Steyn’s injury. Focussing on South Africa, Virat said, “South Africa is a tough side. No matter Steyn or Ngidi play or not, Rabada will always be a threat. Rabada’s skill set will always be respected and we as a team looking forward to winning the match.”
