‘INDIA CAPABLE OF BEATING AUSTRALIA DOWN UNDER; KOHLI STILL IMPROVING’

They may have been drubbed in both South Africa and England but batting great AB de Villiers believes India are well capable of beating Australia when they tour Down Under for a fourTest series. Affectionately called Mr 360 by his fans for his all-round batting skills, de Villiers said how India start the series and the fitness of their fast bowlers hold the key to winning against Australia in December-January.

“India have a very good chance. They came to South Africa and probably played better cricket in the three-Test series. They lost in England but once again that first Test was on a knife’s edge and could have gone either way which would have changed the complexion of the series. It will be challenging but they definitely have the ability to win there,” said de Villiers, who announced his international cricket retirement in May.

“Australia have a really good bowling line up, so do India. So it is going to be really difficult. Hazlewood, Cummins, Starc are all three world class seamers.”

NEWDELHI:

‘KOHLI’S RONALDO, ME MESSI’

De Villiers’ camaraderie with India captain Virat Kohli is well known, both having played for IPL outfit RCB for years, with some fans likening them to football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. “There is definitely some chemistry about us batting together. We have a similar mindset about the game which we enjoy. It’s very nice to bat with someone who understands the way you play and also the mutual understanding. He likes Ronaldo so let him be that and I’ll be Messi, will take that gladly,” he laughed.

Praising the India captain, de Villiers added that Kohli has learnt from mistakes in the last few years as a captain. “He is a really good captain and is going to get even better. That is the scary part. As a batsman he has got areas where he can improve and that is also scary. He is in a great place in his career.”