Danish Kaneria feels the only way Virat Kohli can shut up his critics is by scoring runs and making his team win the Test series in South Africa, something which no other Indian side has done in the past.
Virat Kohli hasn’t scored an international hundred in over 2 years and would be desperate to break that streak in South Africa (AFP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Virat Kohli departed for the tour of South Africa with the Indian team on Thursday
- Team India will play a series of 3 Tests and 3 ODIs in South Africa from December 19 to January 23
- For Kohli, it’s a big tour because India’s never won a [Test] series in South Africa: Danish Kaneria
Former Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria reckons India’s Test series in South Africa will be Virat Kohli’s last chance to prove himself as a captain after being removed from the top job in the ODI format by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
India left for South Africa on Thursday where they will play a series of 3 Tests and 3 ODIs from December 19. Kohli will lead the Test team while Rohit Sharma, if declared fit, will captain the ODI side from January 19.
Kaneria feels the only way Kohli can shut up his critics is by scoring runs and making his team win the Test series, something which no other Indian side has done in the past in South Africa.
“For Virat Kohli, it’s a very big tour because India’s never won a [Test] series in South Africa. They’ve won in England and Australia but this time in South Africa, it will be Virat Kohli’s last chance as captain (to win a series in SA).
“He has got to score runs with the bat, he has got to make his team win, and he has to prove himself on the tour especially after the way the BCCI kicked him out (of the ODI captaincy),” said Kaneria on his YouTube channel.
Kohli, who has been in the middle of a raging controversy after being sacked as the ODI captain, made some startling revelations in a virtual press conference on Wednesday just before departing for the rainbow nation.
From rubbishing rumours of a rift with limited-overs captain Rohit Sharma to shedding light on the turn of events in the lead up to his removal as ODI captain, the 33-year-old said it all, claiming there was lack of proper communication between him and the board.
Kohli even went on to contradict BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s claims that the captain was spoken to after he approached the board with his decision to quit T20I captaincy in September.
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