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Rhodes sees Dhoni and Kohli as the biggest threat to South Africa

Former South Africa ace fielder Jonty Rhodes has announced that he believes India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his right-hand man Virat Kohli will cause the Proteas a lot of trouble when the two sides clash towards the end of the year in a three-Test series.

Rhodes also noted that the Indian batsmen possessed the quality and skill to confront the South African pace trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander.

“In the IPL, they (India) are playing against the South Africans and Australians,” Rhodes told PTI. “They have a lot more confidence playing against them. They have the ability and the skill. They are not afraid of the pace.

“Dale Steyn is fast but he is not going to kill you. Vernon Philander bowls 130 kmph but he bowls in good areas and Morne Morkel gets bounce. It needs different skills to face those three different bowlers, but the Indian line up certainly has the ability to outclass the South African pace attack if they put their minds to it.”

The three-Test series between India and South Africa is scheduled to be held in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg between December 26 and January 19.

The two nations are also scheduled to play two Twenty20 Internationals and seven ODIs.

Rhodes once again reiterated the fact that Dhoni and Kohli would be the two men South Africa have to watch out for throughout the series.

“Kohli is a very strong player,” Rhodes said. “He accumulates runs very quickly. He will be a real danger man in South Africa and don’t forget the captain (Dhoni) batting down the order. He (also) scores runs at a fast rate and is not afraid of the short-ball.

“That is going to be another key in South Africa, the guys who pull and cut. Kohli and Dhoni play very well off the back foot.”

Rhodes added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had made the right move in making Kohli vice-captain.

“I have only watched Dhoni during IPL and watched how smart he is,” Rhodes said. “He has got a great record in winning matches and tough contests. He is street smart. His batting is definitely not traditional.

“Every time he brings in a bowler, every time a new batsman comes to the crease, he has got a specific plan for that. I have great respect for the way he has led the team in the last four seasons.”

The 44-year-old noted that subcontinent teams usually tend to struggle in South Africa due to the vast difference in conditions, but added that he had faith India would succeed.

“Playing a Test series in South Africa is always difficult for a team from the sub-continent,” he said. “South Africa are the number one ranked Test team currently. India have struggled a bit in the last year and and a half.

“The key to do well in South Africa is to bat for long. There is bounce in the wicket. Even if you win the first session of the day, you could still be bowled out at the end of the day. You have to bat well in all three sessions.

“India has a team that is capable. They are batting long. Shikhar (Dhawan), Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, all these guys are used to batting for long periods of time. That will be the key when they tour South Africa. They have got a bowling attack that can get 20 wickets but can their batsmen get big runs, that will be the key.”

Rhodes also expressed his support for Sachin Tendulkar, who will play in his 200th Test match during the series.

“Sachin Tendulkar is not in the team because he wants to play 200 Test matches,” Rhodes said. “He wants to do well for the India. He still has got that ability.

“It is 24 years of international cricket, a record in itself. He is going to play his 200th Test match now. Most records are meant to be broken but I don’t think this is going to broken, not for a very long time anyway.”

When asked about former Australia captain Ricky Ponting’s comments about West Indian batsman Brian Lara being a bigger threat than Tendulkar, Rhodes refused to take sides and remained neutral about the subject.

“Lara, Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting are the three of the best players I have seen,” he said. “It’s difficult for me to pick one over the other, but all of them have different reasons for being such top players.

“It is difficult for me to separate. I know Ricky Ponting would say Brian Lara is the guy who would bat quickly. But you have got to remember that Tendulkar batted for a long period of time and we had to grind ourselves and bat for a long period of time because the wickets were slow and turning, so you couldn’t put bat on ball.”

Rhodes, who currently works as the Mumbai Indians’ fielding coach, noted that he had spotted great potential in opener Rohit Sharma.

“He is now opening the batting for India, so it’s a new position for him,” he said. “He has to find his feet somewhere. As a player he can play anywhere. I really think he is a special player. Good to see him get the opportunity and hopefully convert that and establish himself in the side.

“If you watched IPL 5, he won us a lot of matches by playing through the innings. In a 20-over game scoring 50 or 60, that is winning the game. He has to convert that.

“Virat Kohli’s conversion rate from 50s to 100s is pretty amazing. Once he gets in, he certainly goes through. Maybe it’s a skill that Rohit would take on. He is so gifted and being so talented he plays so many different shots.”

The former ace fielder also announced his support for the highly controversial Decision Review System (DRS), despite the unusually large number of blunders it has been responsible for in the ongoing Ashes series.

“I support technology,” he said. “Innovation or technology, anyway you can make the game fairer to both teams. It might be wrong sometimes, but it is wrong for both sides. Unfortunately human error is something you can’t get away from but if you can reduce that then you have a role within the game.

“You may say we are not going to use it because it is not 100 per cent foolproof but it does reduce the possibility of getting it wrong on the field. I think it is fair for both the teams.”

Rhodes also believes that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been responsible for creating a new breed of fielders.

“I didn’t see all the matches in Champions Trophy but from what I have seen from IPL, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, (Ravindra) Jadeja, they all are superb,” he said. “What IPL has done is that it has introduced a whole new level of fielding.”