South African batsman AB de Villiers gave a fierce warning to Virat Kohli & Co ahead of the futuristic tour following Virat Kohli’s comment to play against Sri Lanka in the greenish conditions to prepare for South Africa tour that sparks off from January 5 onwards.
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Virat Kohli & Co are currently focussing on the homework against Sri Lanka. Due to their ‘crammed schedule’ they don’t have much time for in-depth strategic planning for the upcoming away tour. This is the main reason why Kohli asked for ‘green’ wicket to play against Sri Lanka so that they gain confidence before heading to SA tour.
“As usual cramped for time, which I think we needed to assess in future as well because we very easily assess the team when we go abroad but we don’t look at how many days we have got to prepare before we go to a particular place to play,” Kohli told the reporters ahead of Nagpur Test.
“And everyone starts judging players when results come after Test matches. But it should be a fair game, where we get to prepare the way we want to and then we are entitled to be criticised.
So we thought this (getting seam-friendly wickets at the ongoing series) is an ample opportunity for us to challenge ourselves, put us in a situation (which they expect to encounter in South Africa),” Kohli echoed his opinion.
AB de Villiers responded to Virat Kohli’s views by saying, “Being in a country for a month before playing a series is ideal but it’s unrealistic, especially with our current schedules. If you’re prepared to do that (come earlier), you won’t be at home for many days of the year.
Virat is a disciplined and adaptable guy. If he believes that’s the best way for India to prepare for tours, they must investigate the possibility,” AB de Villiers was quoted as saying by The Citizen.
Kohli’s comment on preparing for South Africa tour in the greenish wicket against Sri Lanka didn’t go well for AB de Villiers as he said that India won’t face the same kind of bowlers. “It might help them but India has got to remember that they won’t face the same bowlers.
They’ll face guys that come from here and know in which areas to bowl. It’s easy to overthink these situations. In the end, it’s just about getting onto the field and achieving results,” AB de Villiers said.
