This is the best Indian team to tour South Africa: Daryll Cullinan

Daryll Cullinan has played as well as seen a lot of cricket over the years. An integral part of the South African team for a majority of the 1990s, Cullinan played 70 Tests and 138 ODIs between 1993 and 2001, with 24 international games of those coming against India (8 Tests and 16 ODIs). Thus, when he calls the current Indian team the best ever to have toured South Africa, it is a big ticket for Virat Kohli & Co. Cullinan shares his views about India's overall show in South Africa and the magic of Kohli in this chat:

Has India's dominance over South Africa in the limited-overs leg surprised you?

Very much so. I didn't think that South Africa will play so badly, or that India will play that well. The ODI series has shown that India are a very good side, a very balanced side in that format. South Africa, on the other hand, gave the opportunity to some of their fringe players to give an impression about how good they are, and what is pretty clear is that they're going to have to do a lot of work. But, I expected South Africa to be a lot better, and I didn't expect India to be as good as they have been.

Do you believe this is the best Indian team to have set foot in South Africa?

I think limited-overs, this is surely India's best team to have toured South Africa. In terms of Test cricket, it was probably the most balanced and all-round Indian side. That said, if you had to look at it from a result point of view, I would say this is the best Indian team to come here.

Across all formats?

Yes. If they had a better chance to prepare and got here much earlier, they may have done a lot better in Tests as well. But certainly by the first Test, they were playing good cricket.

So you'd put the difference of the results between the Tests and limited-overs series purely down to preparation?

I think so. India arriving here for the Test series from the sub-continent was always going to pose a difficult challenge, particularly when it comes to batting in South Africa. We saw the quality of cricket that India played from the third Test match onwards, after they got two tough games under their belt. So, I think they would've walked away with the Test series win as well had they prepared better for it.

There's a lot being spoken and analysed about Virat Kohli's batting abilities. According to you, what is that one key aspect that sets him apart from the rest?

His desire and hunger for runs set him apart from not only anyone in the Indian team, but everybody else in the world. It's also his energy. He always plays his cricket with a lot of energy.

I also believe he's got exceptional footwork as a batsman. He has come here and he's been able to cope with the short ball. And his footwork at the crease is phenomenal, it's the best going around at the moment. So yes, he's got a huge desire to score runs, and I have no doubt that he is on a mission: he wants to set records. And he takes the team along with him, in terms of his focus as well as energy.

Speaking of footwork, there was a chink in his technical armoury not too long ago: poking at balls outside the off stump in seaming conditions. Apart from a couple of dismissals in that mode, he seemed to be more assured of leaving and playing balls in that region. Do you think he is erasing that weakness out steadily?

Definitely. It showed in his hundred at Pretoria (Centurion Test) and the way that he batted in Johannesburg as well. I think particularly early on in his innings, bowlers might think they have a chance against him. But if he selects well the balls to play at outside the off stump, that is the key to his batting. Maybe at times, he looks vulnerable to the LBW. However, if he looks to play straight and is selective outside the off stump, there is no flaw in his game.

By his own lofty standards, would you say there's still some way to go for him to replicate his limited-overs excellence in the Test arena? He has a rivalry with Steve Smith in that format...

Well, a guy like Smith plays on good Australian pitches, which are very true. But I believe Kohli will continue to score heavily around the world wherever he goes. There's always room for improvement for any player, and I'm sure that he is someone who is willing to improve and is wanting to be better all the time. He has surely set the benchmark there with his phenomenally high standards.

So, would you label Kohli as the best batsman in the world at the moment, across all formats?

Absolutely. What I really admire about him is that he takes the responsibility of the entire Indian batting upon him, and he enjoys that challenge. He wants to be the guy to win matches for the team, in those critical batting positions, in taking the lead during chases. And it shows in his results. His approach and mindset, above all, makes him a cut above the rest from the others.

What about his captaincy? His almost overzealous energy at times suits his batting, but does it help his leadership too?

Look, the more he captains, he will only get better. I don't think captaincy can get the better of him. As he gets older, he will probably settle more. But I like that overzealous energy that he brings with him, because it carries the rest of the guys. He has high standards, and he leads by example. So, it doesn't bother me. And I don't think there is a need to change anything at all for him as far as his personality goes.