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Virat Kohli’s work ethic phenomenal despite noise around him: Rahul Dravid
Coach feels India skipper is going to soon produce a big run of scores as visitors look to clinch a historic series win in South Africa during the second Test at Wanderers
Build-up to the South Africa tour was less than desirable, with the controversy over split captaincy and the ensuing drama over Virat Kohli’s word against that of the Indian cricket board but chief coach Rahul Dravid believes it hasn’t affected the India captain. “I know there’s been a lot of noise on other issues a little bit outside of the group, even leading into this Test match, but in terms of keeping the morale high, it’s not been very difficult because, to be honest, it’s been led by the skipper himself,” said Dravid in a pre-match media interaction ahead of the second Test in Johannesburg.
Bogged down by an average of 26.08 in 14 Tests since 2020 and without a century in any format for well over two years, Kohli fell twice playing away from the body to wide deliveries at Centurion. However, Dravid is backing him to come good very soon.
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“Even though he batted well and couldn’t convert those starts, I really feel there’s going to be a big run of really good scores coming in from someone like him,” said Dravid. “Might not happen in the next game,” he added quickly. “(Though) I would really hope it happens in the next game. I do feel with someone like him, we are going to see a really big run of scores once that clicks in place, because he's really led the way. I think he’s been a real credit to himself and to Indian cricket over these last two weeks in spite of all the noise that’s been there around him.”
Lauding Kohli for “the way he has trained and connected with the group”, Dravid said he is in the right headspace going into the Wanderers Test. “I could not speak more highly about him and the way he has committed to his own preparation and his own practice,” he said. “On and off the field, he has been a fantastic leader. We were in a very good space leading into the first Test and a lot of that was led by Virat. It is a pleasure to work with someone like him.”
Up 1-0 after the 113-run win at Centurion, India enter the second Test brandishing an undefeated record at the Wanderers, not the reminder South Africa need right now. They also have more crippling issues to deal with. The latest is Quinton de Kock’s sudden retirement that renders the middle-order even frailer. Twenty-four-year-old Kyle Verreynne—who comes from the same school (Wynberg) that Jacques Kallis passed out from—is expected to replace de Kock but there is no denying that with the best in the business choosing to quit early, South Africa are staring at a sketchy future.
India are undoubted favourites at this point but Dravid also said there is a quiet resilience within the team to not squander this opportunity. Centurion was a satisfying win on many counts but there is scope for improvement.
“We had a really good Test. The bowling was absolutely phenomenal. To get South Africa out twice below 200 is an absolutely great effort. I thought we batted really well on Day One. To be 272/3 at the end of the first day is something which doesn't happen really often. We did really well there,” said Dravid. “Going ahead, we could have got more from 272/3 to being bowled out for 327, that’s an area we would really like to improve. I thought we could have batted better in the second innings as well. A good Test match but a few areas where we can learn, improve and get better because we know we have to do in this game.”
The pitch at Wanderers is quicker but typically flattens out later before variable bounce comes into play. The onus again then might be on batting first, like India did at Centurion. KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal set them up with a brilliant 117-run opening stand in the first innings but there remains a worry whether India’s middle-order can consolidate accordingly. “It's not a question of being worried, but it's a question of recognising that. As a middle-order player, as someone who bats in that kind of position, it is sometimes tough to bat and it's not easy to bat in these conditions. But when you do get set, it's really nice when one of your top three or top four can convert that into a big score,” said Dravid.
Ajinkya Rahane looked fluent during his knock of 48 in the first innings but Cheteshwar Pujara’s vulnerability to the incoming delivery is becoming a concern. Without a century since 2019, Pujara has averaged 26.21 since 2020 but Dravid isn’t willing to read much into it right now. “I think he's doing the best he can, and I do recognise that at times, certainly he would like to have scored more runs. I think someone like him sets really high standards for himself,” he said. “He's achieved a lot of success in the ten years that he’s played cricket, so he knows the highs he's had and the kind of success he's had, and the kind of performances or the run of scores that he's had in the past. So obviously he would like to replicate that and he would like to keep doing that over and over again, sometimes it doesn't happen.”
