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Rahul Dravid praises 'phenomenal' Virat Kohli for bringing 'culture of fitness, success'

Right before the big series against South Africa and amidst off-field controversies surrounding him, India’s captain Virat Kohli has earned word of high praise from the coach Rahul Dravid, who has been witness to Kohli’s emergence at the international level and then also rise to the top of the world.

Dravid has lauded Kohli’s decade long career as a “phenomenal” journey for both him and the Indian team and commended him for overhauling the Indian cricket team with a “culture” of fitness and success as a side.

“I was there when Virat Kohli made his test debut, it has been phenomenal, 10 years later, to see how he has grown as a cricketer and as a person, the match-winning performances, the way he lead the team – he has driven a culture of fitness, success and more,” he said on BCCI.tv.

Dravid was the first captain to lead an Indian team to a win in the longest format in South Africa in 2006. This time he has come to the rainbow nation in a different role but the objective is entirely the same as the men in blue are eager for an elusive Test series win in the country for the first time.

The series will take off on December 26 in Centurion and India although the hosts South Africa have a resounding record at the venue, the Virat Kohli-led side will not be short on any confidence and would believe they can conquer the hosts in their conditions.

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Inspired of Proteas' glorious past against India, Dean Elgar looks to stop 'best side in the world'

South Africa skipper Dean Elgar is aware of the challenges his side are up against come the home Test series against India but he is not losing his sleep over their dream run in the format and their stature as a side in the last few years. Moreover, he has taken comfort in South Africa’s unbeaten record against them at home and said that playing in their own backyard gives them a competitive advantage. "I think it's pretty even-Stevens and playing at home gives us a slight advantage," Elgar said. They're the number one-ranked side in the world and we can't look past that. They've been there for quite a while and you have to give them credit for that. They are the best side in the world and there's a ranking system for a reason, but playing in our backyard gives us the upper hand,” Elgar said. There have been reports about the pace-friendly pitch at Centurion for the first Test but Elgar is not dismissive of the strengths and offerings that the left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj brings to the table. Elgar recognised the versatility of Maharaj and said that the spinner is quite capable of performing a dual role of both container and wicket-taker based on match situations and nature of the pitch and backed him to play an important role in helping South Africa. "I'm still a fan of playing a spinner and I think Keshav has performed a wonderful job for the team. He deserves his spot in the Test side and also the conditions here have actually changed and turned for the spinners. It is my home-ground and we don't have to worry about the ball not turning on the first three days,” Elgar said. “We have to set the game up for the last two days where one hopes the wicket will deteriorate and the spinner comes into play. Kesh has shown he can attack and contain and when the right time allows him, he can be a strike bowler.” South Africa cricket has been mired in various off-field controversies and Elgar would hope his players will rally around him to start off the series on a promising note. They have an indomitable record at SuperSport Park in Centurion and Elgar would hope their dominance over both India and at the venue will remain intact after the end of the series.

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New vice-captain Rahul hints of five-bowlers tactic, discusses 'difficult decision' over Rahane

India’s new vice-captain KL Rahul has given a strong hint on what would the playing XI for the first Test of the series against South Africa look like as he has backed their long-standing commitment to the idea of playing five bowlers. He spoke highly of the five-bowler tactics and counted the successes they have had in the past few years. He also rated the tactic highly for the cushion of workload management it provides to the side and did all but confirm about playing an extra seamer in the Tests against the Proteas. "Every team wants to pick up 20 wickets to win Test match. We have used that tactic and it has helped us in every Test match that we have played away," Rahul said. "Workload also becomes slightly easier to manage with five bowlers and when you have that kind of quality (in Indian ranks), I think, we might as well use it.” Rahul was promoted to vice-captaincy for the tour replacing Ajinkya Rahane, who has gone out of favour due to a prolonged slump with the bat. His position in the squad was threatened after the heroic arrival of Shreyas Iyer and the perpetual presence of Hanuma Vihari. If the men in blue will stick to the five-bowlers combination as Rahul has suggested, the team management will have to make tough choices in terms of team selection and pick one among Iyer, who grabbed the opportunities against New Zealand with both hands and Vihari, who has been an undisclosed overseas specialist. India have never won a Test series in South Africa and the Virat Kohli-led side have achieved many unprecedented triumphs in the longest format in the last few years and the upcoming series will be yet another opportunity for the number one ranked side in the format.