Prominent South African players compliment Virat Kohli ahead of the Centurion Test

“The biggest threat in the Indian batting lineup, you obviously can’t rule out Virat Kohli," said Temba Bavuma.

The players from South Africa, Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, and Marco Jansen heaped praise on Virat Kohli, praising his steadfast role as a cornerstone of India’s cricketing triangle—Test, ODI, and T20 formats—during the previous six challenging years. Bavuma stressed that it is unjustifiable to overlook Virat Kohli while talking about the risks that the Indian batting lineup poses.

Markram praised Kohli’s defining characteristic—his unwavering spirit of competition—and emphasized the unquenchable ambition that drives Kohli’s unrelenting quest for achievement. In his evaluation, Jansen mentioned the difficulty of bowling to Kohli and mentioned the former Indian captain’s keen awareness of his own strengths and weaknesses.

“The biggest threat in the Indian batting lineup, you obviously can’t rule out Virat Kohli. He has played here quite a number of times, so we’ll say that he understands the conditions,” Bavuma was quoted as saying on Star Sports.

“He is a fierce competitor. We might not always be the most skilful people, but to always try to fight out and compete, have more hunger than you’ve been playing against,” Markram said.

“Bowling to Virat Kohli is tough because he knows what he is doing, and he knows what his strengths and weaknesses are,” Jansen added

Kohli has a Steller record in Tests in SA

With a two-match Test series ahead of him, the famous Indian batsman will be in the center of South Africa. The first-ever match will take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 26. India’s historic journey to South Africa has taken place over the course of 23 Test matches, during which they have managed to secure four wins, twelve losses, and seven draws. For the visiting Indian team, the recent victory at SuperSport Park in 2022 would serve as a ray of hope.

The legendary batter, has been a  remarkable performer in Indian Test cricket, and is ranked fourth in terms of most runs scored. With a captivating record of 1236 runs amassed in 14 matches, the 35-year-old has a striking average of 56.18 and a noteworthy strike rate of 55.10 in South Africa. Cementing his important role in India’s Test goals, his repertoire includes three centuries and four half-centuries.

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