Team India is yet to win a Test series in South Africa. But Men in blue led by Head coach Rahul Dravid and skipper Virat Kohli, have tasted Test success in South Africa in the past. Kohli feels his men can cross the line and “do something special” if they can get their confidence right.

India’s quest to win a series has just become much more challenging as India would not have any warm-up games and acclimatisation time. It is a bit like what they did when they last toured South Africa: land, train, and play. Kohli admitted that the South African conditions could be tricky with good swing as well.

Kohli added that it is important to understand which areas we are hitting the ball, getting into good shapes and with the bowlers as well. Bowlers have to decide what areas they want to bowl, with slips set in place, and cut down easy singles; all these things help you to get in good rhythm when you have no warm-up games.

India will begin the tough battle without two key players: Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja. While Rohit has left a void at the top, Jadeja’s absence could affect the team balance. It is a great opportunity for Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul to start up and solidify that start for their side and make sure the good batting is carried on in this series.

Jadeja is a very important player as he contributes to all three departments and India will miss him a lot. However, India has created the bench strength with quality players. Kohli ended that missing those two would not be a deciding factor.