Master of ODI cricket! That’s how KL Rahul has described Virat Kohli, and it couldn’t be more apt. Presently, there isn’t a cricketer who’s played more 50-over matches than Kohli has. Even Rohit Sharma, who’s one year older than him, has played fewer matches than Kohli.
The modern great will return to the team after a month’s gap in Ranchi as India takes on South Africa. Stand-in captain KL Rahul basically called Kohli ‘a book of knowledge’ as he’ll return to the dressing room.
Virat Kohli to mentor youngsters
With guys like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar, all part of the squad, Rahul knows how Kohli can teach them all he knows about 50-over batting.
Kohli’s mastery has always been keeping busy. He doesn’t play dots. Blink for a moment, and Kohli would be at a run-a-ball fifty. Rahul hopes he can teach some of his skills to others in the dressing room.
“Taking singles is as important as hitting boundaries. That’s something Virat has done so well in his career. In the dressing room, we talk with him about how to improve. He is the master of ODI cricket. Good to have him back in the dressing room,” Rahul told reporters in Ranchi.
The wicketkeeper batter didn’t leave out Rohit. He’s equally important to the team. In fact, Rohit’s got more experience since he made his international debut in 2007. With Shubman Gill out with an injury, Rohit and Kohli will become the natural leaders despite Rahul leading the team.
“Their importance at any point is huge. They make the dressing room feel a lot more confident,” he added.
India ODI squad for South Africa series
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul (c & wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Tilak Verma, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana
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