'I could play for South Africa'- Throwback to the time when Virat Kohli expressed his desire to play for South Africa

Virat Kohli is considered one of the greatest batters of the modern era. The stylish batter has scored over 23,000 runs in international cricket and has single-handedly carried the Indian batting lineup over the years. The batter has come as a blessing for the Indian cricket team and the fans can’t even imagine him playing for another country.

However, back in 2009, a young Virat Kohli said that if not for India he would’ve played for South Africa. In a candid chat with NDTV Cricket, the former Indian captain was asked if not for the Indian team, which team he would like to represent in international matches.

Kohli admitted that he does not like any other nation, but if he had to pick one, he would don the South African jersey. "Though I don't really like any other country but I think South Africa is one team I could think of playing for,” said Kohli.

Talking about the South African team, Kohli has some good friends in the Proteas. Virat has often labelled AB de Villiers as his best friend from opposition teams, and he currently plays under the leadership of Faf du Plessis in the Bangalore franchise. While Virat and Faf have a great bonding, Dale Steyn is a close friend of Kohli as well.

Virat Kohli against South Africa

Interestingly, Kohli also has great numbers in ODI matches on South African soil. He has batted in 18 innings in South Africa, scoring 993 runs at an average of 76.38. The 33-year-old's strike rate is more than 90, with his highest score being 160*.

South Africa is also the team that India U-19s defeated in the final under Kohli's captaincy to win the ICC U-19 World Cup 2008. Also, Virat's last Test match as Indian captain came on South African soil. Thus, he has a deep connection with the Rainbow Nation.

Kohli has been going through bad form off-late and will be seen in action in the Asia Cup against the arch-rivals Pakistan on 28^th August.