SA vs IND: Virat Kohli confirms availability for Cape Town Test, sheds light on poor form

After missing the second Test due to an upper back spasm, Indian skipper Virat Kohli is set to take the field in the third and final Test of the series. With the series being poised at 1-1, the Cape Town test, which gets underway on January 11, is staged for a decider. Kohli regaining fitness is certainly a massive boost for the home team as Proteas bowlers have been impressive in this series.

Needless to mention, the spotlight will be on Kohli when he takes the field at Newlands as his form in the last couple of years hasn’t been magnificent. The 33-year-old hasn’t scored an international ton since November 2019 and the burning question is when the wait will end. Well, Kohli doesn’t seem too concerned about the same as he reckons this is a part and parcel of the game.

I have been involved in important partnerships: Virat Kohli

Addressing the media on the eve of the game, Kohli admitted he hasn’t been at his prime but he also highlighted being involved in crucial partnerships every now and then. “It’s not the first time. England 2014 is one of those phases. I don’t look at myself from the lense that the outside world looks at me,” Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.

“In sport sometimes things don’t go as you want but as a batsman I have been involved in important partnerships when the team needs me. I am in a position where people will judge me but I don’t look at myself like that,” he added.

Meanwhile, Kohli confirmed he has regained full fitness but the same is not the case for Mohammed Siraj, who sustained a hamstring injury during the second Test in Johannesburg. Kohli also confirmed the young pacer will warm the benches as the team management doesn’t want to risk his fitness.

“I am absolutely fit but Siraj is not 100 percent fit and we don’t want to risk a fast bowler not being 100 percent fit,” said Kohli. Meanwhile, India would be chasing history in Cape Town as they have never won a Test series in the rainbow nation. Hence, stakes are incredibly high in the contest.