We have skills to do well in any country: Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli is extremely optimistic about the upcoming 2018 Freedom Series against South Africa and feels that the present Indian team has the required skill set to perform well in any country.

The 29-year-old in a press conference said, "We are looking forward to this period of playing away from home. We feel we have the skill set to do well in any place in the world. Now is our opportunity because of the average age of the group and the amount of cricket we are going to play together," reported Espncricinfo.

"We know exactly what we need to do if we need to bounce back, how we need to do it or if we want to create chances, how we need to create them", he added.

Talking about the Indian team not being used to playing on bouncy pitches, the captain said that the team has accepted the fact that the wicket will hold many surprises for the Indian players and the key is to believe in their abilities and take the bowlers head-on.

"The most important thing is not to get surprised by the pace and bounce. We have convinced ourselves that it's going to be much quicker and much bouncier than back home and you are going to get balls that may surprise you every now and then. The most important thing is to put it in the past, put it behind you and focus on the next ball. That's something that we did last time as well," the feisty batsman said.

"You can't afford to think there are too much pace and bounce. You rather take it on, believe in your abilities and take it head-on. That's key to playing conditions that are different from your own," he concluded.

The India-South Africa series will include three Test matches, six one-day internationals and three T20Is.

The first Test match at the Newlands in Cape Town will be played on January 5.