Virat Kohli destined to be an Indian great, says Niall O'Brien

India’s hopes in England rest on Dhoni’s and Kohli’s shoulders

The 18-member Indian Test squad arrived in England on Sunday and has already created a lot of buzz, with cricket fans eagerly awaiting the 5-match Test series between England and India, commencing next month. But as it turns out, it’s not just the fans excited at the prospect of the Indian team arriving in England. Leicestershire and Ireland star Niall O’Brien, is looking forward to locking horns against the Indians during the 3-day practice match between Leicestershire and India.

“India are a wonderful bunch of cricketers who can destroy you one minute, intrigue you another and just dazzle you with their unreal skill and talent the next,” O’Brien wrote in his column for a local newspaper ‘Leicester Mercury’.

While the primary purpose of the 3-day practice match is to give the Indians some much-needed match practice in English conditions, O’Brien hopes that the county side, by playing against a star-studded Indian side, can benefit too.

“It is always a great experience, especially for the younger lads, to play against MS Dhoni and co. For the (Leicester) Foxes, it will be a great test for our batsmen and bowlers to show what they can do against a Test side,” he wrote.

He also had special words of praise for, two players in particular, the Indian captain MS Dhoni and star batsman Virat Kohli.

“India will be led by the inspirational Dhoni who is another top man and a superb captain who has transformed the India side over recent years with his tactical nous and aggressive approach, both in the field and with the bat.

“Another (player) who will create great interest is Virat Kohli, the new kid on the block. This man is a genius with the willow in his hand and is already is making serious runs that will surely one day put him near the top of the Indian run-getters list,” wrote the Irish batsman.