Bishen Singh Bedi: Virat Kohli will face real challenge in South Africa
Bishen Singh Bedi has stated that India's upcoming tour of South Africa won't be an easy affair for skipper Virat Kohli, who will face his first real challenge now. He also praised shuttler PV Sindhu, comparing her challenges at the world level to what India will face on the South Africa tour.
Kohli has been terrific in 2017 leading India to success across all the three formats. The biggest highlight of it was the Men in Blue equaling Australia’s record of nine consecutive Test series wins. Travelling South Africa next year, India will have the chance to create a new record now and given their current form, many have their hopes high.
However, while come experts are confident about India’s success on South African soil, others still have their reservations and believe that it will not be an easy task for Kohli. The latest name to join that bandwagon is legendary spinner Bishen Sigh Bedi.
He believes that the Indian skipper is yet to face the real competition and the upcoming tour of South Africa will be a test of his batting and captaincy skills. Citing ace shuttler PV Sindhu’s instance, the 71-year-old stated that Kohli would be struggling to achieve what the Olympic medallist shuttler has attained over the years.
"Sindhu has achieved a lot over the years and I dare Virat Kohli would be struggling," the former India cricket captain said.
"She has been competing with the best of the world, but Kohli will now be competing with the best of the world in South Africa. The tour of South Africa will be a test for Kohli," Bedi added.
India haven’t played on challenging pitches of late and the former spinner opined that the series will work as a tester for the Indian skipper, where they are scheduled to play three Tests, six ODIs, and three T20I.