Not Rohit Sharma; Sreesanth Picks India’s X-Factor in Tests vs South Africa

Mumbai: We are not many days away from the start of the South African tour where the Indian side will play T20Is, ODIs and finally the Tests. With the two Test matches being a part of the World Test Championship cycle, spotlight would be on the red-ball contest. While India have a solid team to challenge the hosts, former India cricketer Sreesanth picked Virat Kohli and KL Rahul as the X-factor for the side in South Africa.

“Virat Kohli. Virat loves to keep proving, rather than to anybody but to himself. I think he’s that cricketer who actually plays with that pride and he takes that pride in a very good way, not in an egoistic way. So pride for me, and for Virat also I’m sure it’s like personal responsibility in delivering excellence. So, I will go with Virat and KL Rahul,” Sreesanth said while speaking to Firstpost.

After the ODI World Cup, Kohli went on a break. He along with his family were spotted in London. He would miss the white-ball leg in South Africa, but will join the side for the Tests.

India’s Squad For Test Series vs South Africa: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Mohd. Shami*, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna.

The Indian team will participate in three T20Is, three ODIs and two Test matches starting December 10. During the tour, India A will also play two four-day matches against South Africa A and one inter-squad three-day match.