MS Dhoni Made Massive Difference In Team India And Virat Kohli Took That To Next Level - Jonty Rhodes

Former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes opened up about the difference between the current crop and the previous crop of Indian players. He said that earlier there were only a few batters who were comfortable playing outside of India but currently due to IPL they have got huge exposure.

Jonty Rhodes’ comments came during an interaction with RevSportz. He believes that IPL has allowed India to have batting depth and has given them great fast bowlers. He admitted that when India used to tour South Africa early, they used to prepare green tacks because the Men In Blue were reliant on just one or two pacers.

Jonty Rhodes while talking about the current generation of Indian players said SENA countries preparing green track backfires because India pacers can knock the opposition with ease. He elaborated:

“In my generation, there were two or three batters who were comfortable out of India. Now, given the exposure they’re getting against pace, during the IPL, I think their batting depth is really, really strong. And the pace bowling.

“If India came to South Africa, we would prepare a green wicket because India were relying maybe on one seamer, maximum two. Now, if you prepare a green and sporty surface for Test cricket, India have the pace bowling to knock you over.”

Its fair to say that India since the inception of IPL has become a dominating force in world cricket. Earlier they used to struggle a lot in overseas conditions. But now things are different, they have been neck to neck with the opposition and even won series outside India.

Fast bowlers in particular are the main reason behind India’s success in Tests. They take 20 wickets in almost every game, which has helped the team get in a dominating position and win.

India now tick all the boxes – Jonty Rhodes

Jonty Rhodes further added that MS Dhoni made a huge difference to Indian cricket. He highlighted that earlier India used to struggle with fitness but now the entire culture has changed and they have ticked all the boxes. He also heaped huge praise on Virat Kohli. explained:

“And they have the batting to be able to kind of get past you. So I think as an all-round team, we certainly saw under MS Dhoni that he made a massive difference with his power game. Between the wickets, he was phenomenal. Behind the stumps, he never made a mistake because of his fitness levels.

“And Kohli took that to the next level. Players got left out because they couldn’t pass a fitness test. India now tick all the boxes. Earlier, you could say we were 10 or 15 runs better in the field. Now that’s no longer.”

Indian Cricket Team will be next seen in action this month. They will tour South Africa for the three-match ODI and T20I series along with two-Test series. BCCI has named the squad for the series and has given opportunities to quite a few youngsters in all three formats.

The South Africa tour will begin with a three-match T20I series, to be played from 10th December to 14th December. After that action will move towards the ODI series, slated to take place from 17th December to 21st December. The Test series will be played from 26th December to 7th January.