SA vs IND 2023: Virat Kohli is a great player: Kagiso Rabada ahead of opening Test

South Africa gun fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is wary of Virat Kohli for the two-match Test series against India. Rabada has had many great battles with Kohli and once again both of these players are going to hold the key for their respective teams.

Virat Kohli finished the ODI World Cup as the highest run-getter with 765 runs in 11 matches at an average of 95.62 and a strike rate of 90.32. Ergo, he was awarded Player of the Tournament for his consistent performances and he will to carry the same form in the red-ball version.

Furthermore, Kohli has scored 719 runs in 14 innings with a remarkable average of 51.36 on South African soil.

“It’s always great playing against great players. Virat is a great player. He’s had quite some success against us, but at the same time, we’ve had success against him. It’s a battle that I look forward to always, when you measure yourself up against the best. That’s the reason why you play,” Kagiso Rabada said while speaking to Star Sports.

On the other hand, South African spinner Keshav Maharaj reckons Kohli’s understanding of his game makes him a great Test batter. Kohli has amassed 8676 runs in 111 Test matches at an impressive average of 49.3, with 29 centuries.

“He knows his Test cricket game. He scored runs for numerous amount of years and the amount of centuries he has got. It’s just about making sure that you can be better than him on the day. [Playing against] someone of his caliber, it’s a best way to gauge yourself in terms of where you are with your game. Someone doesn’t just average 50 overnight playing over 100 Test matches for the country,” Keshav Maharaj added.

Kohli is going to hold the key for the Indian team and he will look to be at his absolute best against the Proteas. The first Test match between India and South Africa will be played at the SuperSport Park, Centurion from December 26.