India head coach Rahul Dravid lauded Test skipper Virat Kohli for maintaining good morale within the team despite outside noise regarding his form and the controversy surrounding him relinquishing India's T20I captaincy. Kohli did make a lot of headlines as 2021 came to a close with him denying that BCCI's claim of request him to reconsider leaving T20I captaincy. Despite all the different opinions and comments on this issue, Kohli has ensured that his focus stayed on the South Africa tour and Dravid was in high praise of the 33-year old. India vs South Africa 2nd Test 2021-22 Day 1 Live Streaming Online: Get Free Live Telecast of IND vs SA Test Series on TV With Time in IST

While speaking at a press conference ahead of the second Test, he said, "I know there's been a lot of noise on other issues a little bit, outside of the group, even leading into this Test match, but honestly, in terms of keeping the morale high, it's not been very difficult because, to be honest, it's been led by the skipper himself..I think Virat has been absolutely phenomenal over the last sort of 20 days that we've been here - the way he's trained, the way he's practiced, the way he's connected with the group."

The Indian cricket legend further explained why Kohli has been phenomenal as a leader of the group, stating that it was his 'pleasure' to have worked with someone like him. "As a coach, sometimes, leading into the series, you know that there's not really too much you can do once the game starts, or there's not too much you can control in the results. But what you're really looking to do as coaches or as support staff, we're looking to prepare well and get the team into a really good space. And Virat has been phenomenal in that - the way he's led the team, he's been absolutely, truly a leader, and I couldn't speak more highly about him and the way he's committed to his own preparation, his own practice, and also just the way he's connected with the group over the last two weeks."

Dravid added, "On and off the field he's truly been a fantastic leader and a really good captain, so that's really helped in creating a really good space. I felt we were in a really good space leading into the first Test match, and a lot of that was led by Virat and his leadership really came to the fore. It's not been hard, it's been a pleasure to work with someone like Virat, he's been a phenomenal leader, and even personally I think that he's in a really good space." Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mayank Agarwal & Others Sweat It Out Ahead of IND vs SA 2nd Test 2022 (Watch Video)
It has been a while since fans have seen Virat Kohli score a hundred and although he has got starts, he has failed to convert any of them into a big score--for two years at a stretch now. One of his biggest areas of concern has been deliveries outside the off-stump as on most occasions, he is seen reaching out to play on the off-side only to edge behind and get caught in the slips or by the wicketkeeper. Dravid however, felt that the Indian Test captain would get his run-scoring form under his belt, soon. "Even though he batted well and couldn't convert those starts, I really feel there's going to be a big run of really good scores coming in from someone like him," he said.
India, with a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, play the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg from January 3 onwards.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2022 11:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).