Rumours never seem to leave Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli alone. Just ahead of the India-South Africa series, rumours have been flying thick and fast that Kohli might replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the ODI captain.
Kohli is yet to reveal anything about the captaincy rumour but he surely has gained a number of fans across the world. Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has backed Team India Test skipper to lead the side in all the three formats of the game.
"I am sure Virat has the ability to lead India in all three formats. He will have to start somewhere and take over from MS (Dhoni). Only time will tell whether this move will work or backfire, but he comes across as a player who thrives under pressure. So Virat is the right choice, and he must give it a go," Kallis said in an interview to the Indian Express.
Kohli donned the hat of the captain after Dhoni decided to hang up his boots from the longer format of the game during the tour of Australia. Dhoni has not played in the 50-over format since the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which India lost. However, Kohli's name has popped up after he led India to a historic Test series win against Sri Lanka, ending a 22-year wait of for an away win.
South Africa are all set to embark upon a 72-day-long tour of India that will include three T20 internationals, five ODIs and four Test matches. Kalllis believes that it will not be an easy tour for the Proteas against the host, that too in Indian conditions.
"India are a good team, especially at home. I will not read much into their series win against Sri Lanka. But I am happy that we [South Africa] will be playing a full length four-match Test series. And my experience says, in a four-game series, the side that plays the best brand of cricket, wins. So it will be an interesting series for sure.
"Touring India and coming back with a win is always a tough task. I believe the selectors have chosen the best side, which has the ability to compete against India. This time, we have beefed up the spin options as well, so I think this squad has got everything covered. That's what makes it a balanced one," Kallis said.
