Rahul Dravid opens up about India's chances against South Africa
Dravid feels that Kohli's men will produce desirable results in South Africa
What's the story?
Rahul Dravid, former Indian cricket team captain and current coach of the Indian U-19 cricket team, feels that India will put up a strong performance against South Africa in the upcoming tour.
Speaking to India TV, Dravid opened up about India's chances and said that the senior batsmen will help India achieve their maiden series victory.
"They have a fair chance this time because it's a balanced team. They've got good spinners, fast bowlers and all-rounders. Our batsmen are also well experienced. I hope we put up a strong performance this time in South Africa," Dravid told India TV
"We aren't going to South Africa for the first time. Senior batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, all have toured South Africa before. They have an idea of what to expect from those playing conditions. If you have a fair idea of conditions, you can prepare well for challenges ahead," he added.
In case you didn't know...
India has never managed to win an away series against South Africa. They achieved their best result back in 2011 when they managed to come away with a 1-1 draw.
They will be touring South Africa three match Test series which begins on January 5 in Cape Town. They will also face the Proteas in six ODIs and three T20Is after the Test series.
The details
Dravid also opened up about Virat Kohli's form ahead of the Test series. He felt that Kohli would score a lot of runs in South Africa given the fact that he has done so in Australia in the past.
"Every cricketer needs a bit of luck and if Virat gets it on the tour, I believe there will be no stopping," said Dravid.
What's next?
The team will travel to South Africa on December 27 and will train for a week before the commencement of the first Test.
Author's take
The Indian cricket team has been in sensational form over the past year or so, notching up victories against England, New Zealand, Australia, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
However, they have not travelled for an away series so far and it will be extremely interesting to see if they are able to produce similar results in South Africa.