‘I am traditionalist so playing in whites….’ – Virat Kohli eager to return to Tests with two-match series against South Africa

Team India is all set to face South Africa in the two matches of the Test series slated to commence on December 26 in Centurion. However, India’s stalwart Virat Kohli was seen giving his interview for the first time after the loss in the ODI World Cup 2023 final against Australia at the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19.

Virat Kohli says that Test cricket is the foundation of the game for him in all three formats. In addition, the 35-year-old cricketer reveals that he always has different feelings when he plays the 4-5 days of Test Cricket.

“Test cricket for me is the foundation of the game. It’s history. It’s culture. It’s heritage. It’s everything. You come out on the other side after four-five days, it’s a different feeling from anything else that you’ve experienced,” Virat Kohli said in a video uploaded by Star Sports.

The former India skipper says that he feels much satisfaction when he plays long innings in Test cricket to help India win the game. Moreover, the top-order batter expressed his happiness for playing over 100 matches of Test cricket and fulfilling his dreams of becoming a great Test cricketer.

Really honoured to play more than 100 Tests for the country: Virat Kohli

“As an individual, as a team, the job satisfaction of having played a long innings and winning your team a Test match is a special feeling. I am a traditionalist so playing in whites, playing Test cricket is everything. Really honoured to play more than 100 Tests for the country and pursue my dream of becoming a Test cricketer,” he added further.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli has fled back to his home country, citing personal reasons. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mohammed Shami are out of the Test series due to injuries. However, Ishan Kishan opted for a break from the series, and KS Bharat has been named as his replacement.

India’s probable playing XI for the first Test against South Africa: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mukesh Kumar.