Captain Kohli and a few youngsters begin World T20 preparation

Virat Kohli will be venturing into the unknown with a clean slate, where a few seasoned hands will be backing a group of immensely talented youngsters, in his quest for World T20 title which begins with a three-match bilateral series against South Africa here on Sunday.

The 3-0 series win against the West Indies could be called a pre-cursor as it was just after enduring a disappointing end to their ODI World Cup campaign.

The real battle begins now with this series against Quinton de Kocks and Kagiso Rabadas, who are also in the midst of a tough transition phase.

A good spell from Rabada or a cameo from David Miller could pose challenge for the Indians, while some of the others like Test specialist Temba Bavuma or Anrich Nortje will like to prove their credentials in absence of Faf du Plessis or Hashim Amla.

There will be around 20 odd matches for captain Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri to build a near perfect combination going into the World T20 in Australia in October next ...