All eyes are on Indias stalwart batter Virat Kohli as Men in Blue braces for a two-match Test series against South Africa, which is starting on December 26. Kohli is returning to action after a month-long break following a heartbreaking loss to Australia in the finals of recently concluded ODI World Cup. India has never won a test series on South African soil but came close to doing so in the last series under Virat Kohlis captaincy. Eventually, India lost the series by 1-2 to Protese men with Kohli missing the second Test. Test cricket is the toughest & most demanding but the best form of cricket!Its pure, rich in history & heritage, say legends @ImRo45 & @imVkohli ahead of the Final Frontier vs #SouthAfrica.Tune-in the 1st #SAvIND TestTUE, DEC 26, 12:30 PM | Star Sports Network pic.twitter.com/wZDFGlVAVC— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) December 23, 2023In a recent interview with Star Sports, Kohli said, Test cricket for me is the foundation of the game. Its history. Its culture. Its heritage. Its everything. You come out on the other side after four-five days, its a different feeling from anything else that youve experienced. As an individual, and as a team, the job satisfaction of having played a long innings and winning your team a Test match is a special feeling. I am a traditionalist so playing in whites, playing Test cricket is everything. Really honoured to play more than 100 Tests for the country and pursue my dream of becoming a Test cricketer.This is his first interview since the World Cup heartbreak, hinting at his unwavering dedication to the game.Kohli returns homeMeanwhile, Kohli returned home due to a family emergency just days before the first Test. BCCI sources, however, assured his timely return, emphasizing that the issue wasnt serious enough to affect his participation.Veteran players join the squadIndias veteran players including the likes of Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah are making the return after a month-long break from cricket after the World Cup loss. Indias squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Prasidh Krishna, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Ruturaj Gaikwad.South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Nandre Burger, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Dean Elgar, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne (wk).
