'He tried his best': Kohli reserves special praise for his deputy Rahul

Regular skipper Virat Kohli was all praise for KL Rahul, who led India in the Johannesburg Test against South Africa. India lost the second Test by seven wickets as South Africa levelled the series 1-1 to force the decider in Cape Town. The 29-year-old Karnataka opener became the 34th cricketer to captain India in the longest format.

Kohli was ruled out of the Test match owing to an upper back spasm which he had incurred on the morning of the match. His Test deputy for the ongoing series, Rahul was asked to lead the team at the Wanderers, albeit the team's defeat. Kohli rated the team's field placements and Rahul's plans but admitted that India couldn't have done anything better to snatch the win.

"He (Rahul) has handled it in a balanced way," Kohli said on Monday on the eve of the series decider. "What I saw from his plans and field placements that he tried his best to get wickets and breakthroughs in the second innings. But the situation was such that South Africa played well to chase the runs. I don't thing anything much could have done."

Rahul has previously led Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he's shown a glimpse of his leadership skills along with thriving with the bat. He was also the winner of the prestigious Orange Cap in the 2020 edition, scoring 670 runs from 14 matches at an average of 55.83.

Kohli further also hinted that he would have had a different approach while leading the team at the Wanderers but noted the difference in captaincy styles of each player. "Everyone has different styles in captaincy. I would have done a bit differently too but the intent would have been to get the wickets. I think he worked in a balanced manner," Kohli said.

Aiming to win their first-ever Test series in the Rainbow nation, India had defeated the hosts by 113 runs in the series opener to script their maiden victory in Centurion. Dean Elgar's men, however, clawed back to win in Johannesburg by seven wickets making the third Test a series decider.

Kohli also talked about his own form with the bat and said that he is "at peace with my game" before heading into the third and final Test. The 33-year-old batter has an average of only 26.08 in 14 Test since the start of 2020, well below his career mark of 50.34.

"It has happened a few times in my career. England in 2014 was one of those. But I don't look at myself through the lens that the outside world sees me. The standards we are talking about today have been set by myself. In sport, sometimes things do not go the way you want them to. But I have been part of important (batting) partnerships when the team has needed me," he said.

"I am at peace with how I am playing and what I am able to do for the team when there is a tricky scenario. I have nothing else to worry about. I don't need to prove anything to anyone."