‘Fierce Competitor’: South African Players Deem Virat Kohli as Biggest Threat in Boxing Day Test

The South African cricket team picked Virat Kohli as the biggest threat ahead of the Boxing Day Test against India in Centurion. Widely regarded as one of the finest batters of all time, Kohli has earned the respect of his rivals for his consistency at the highest level. In the latest post shared by Star Sports on social media platform X, South African players such as Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen called Kohli a “fierce competitor”.

The video was shared with a caption that read, “‘Always great playing against great players.’ Virat Kohli commands admiration & respect even from his opponents. Will Kohli be able to stamp his authority & help Team India to win the Final Frontier?”

One of the fans replied to the video saying that he appreciated the kind words for the player from a bowler like Kagiso Rabada. “Rabada about Kohli is really amazing”.

Another simply wrote, “Virat Kohli is super legendary”.

The comments section was filled with reactions from Kohli fans. “He is one of the best players. Always plays well for team and country”.

The video starts with Temba Bavuma naming Virat Kohli as the biggest threat in the Indian line-up for the Centurion Test. Aiden Markram followed up and described the Indian player as a “fierce competitor”.

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Keshav Maharaj suggested a way to counter the star batter. He said, “It’s just about making sure that you are better than him [Virat Kohli] on the day”.

Proteas speedster Kagiso Rabada was also in full praise of the Indian cricketer. “Always great against great players…he’s had quite some success against us,” he added.

India’s ongoing tour of South Africa saw them draw their T20I series 1-1 and win the ODIs 2-1. Virat Kohli featured in none of those games and will return to action for the Test match in Centurion.

READ MORE: India’s Record in Boxing Day Tests – 17 Played, 10 Losses, 4 Wins

This is going to be Kohli’s first appearance for India since their heartbreaking loss in the World Cup final at home. Having finished that tournament as the record-top scorer, Kohli will be looking to continue his form against South Africa.

India is currently underway in their Boxing Day test against South Africa. In the first session, they lost the top-order of Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill for cheap thanks to some fine bowling from Nandre Burger who took the wickets of both youngsters while the experienced Kagiso Rabada got the wicket of the Indian skipper.