Virat Kohli Is An Aggressive Campaigner Who Leads By Example: Faf du Plessis

South Africa stars Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis feel beating world number one Test team India will be tough even in their own backyard when Virat Kohli & Co. visit the African country early next year.

Both the teams are going through different phases at the time being. While South Africa are looking to bounce back after the heavy series defeat in England, India recently registered its eighth consecutive Test series win with a comprehensive 3-0 win against Sri Lanka. And while the Proteas will be keen to beat India in order to recover from the drubbing in England, the likes of Amla and skipper Plessis- are under no illusion of the enormous task the team faces. Prior to the series against India, South Africa will play a Test series against Bangladesh at home.

The South Africa players will also play in the inaugural Global T20 league before the series against India and Amla feels the tournament and the Bangladesh series will help the players ‘get in the groove’ for the India series.

“It was disappointing the way we fared in England. But we need to understand that South Africa is a young side and in a rebuilding stage. It would be interesting to see how the South Africa T20 Global League pans out. It would be ideal to play in such a league ahead of an important series like against India. The Test series against Bangladesh in September will help us get in the groove,” Amla told Hindustan Times.

Du Plessis, on the other hand, said that India have started to shape up as one of the best teams in the world and admitted that the Virat Kohli-led side would be tough to beat.

“India have been winning a lot of matches on foreign soil in the recent past. They have started to make that curve of being one of the best Test teams in the world. There was a time when South Africa would be unbeatable at home but I think India would be a tough team to beat even for us,” du Plessis said.

Du Plessis also praised Kohli and admitted that controlling him will be the key during the series. India is yet to lose a series under Kohli’s captaincy since he led the team against Sri Lanka in 2015 which was his first full series as a captain. India had won that series 2-1 which was their first Test series win in Sri Lanka after 22 years.

After that, the Kohli-led side had defeated South Africa 3-0 before the mammoth 2016-17 season where they beat West Indies (2-0), New Zealand (3-0), England (4-0), Bangladesh (1-0), Australia (2-1) and recently whitewashed Sri Lanka in their backyard.

“Virat Kohli is an aggressive campaigner who leads by example. He sets high standards in all departments. Controlling him will be the key,” du Plessis said.