AFP, NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli’s India head for a gruelling tour of South Africa on Wednesday looking for a record-breaking tenth straight Test series triumph, but they will have to overcome a reputation for being bad travellers.

India, who beat New Zealand, England and Australia in a powerful home season to consolidate their number one Test ranking, celebrated their last major away victory in 2008-2009 when they beat the Kiwis 1-0 in a three-Test series.

“Looking forward to the South Africa tour, it's going to be a different challenge,” said Rohit Sharma, who captained the Indian limited-overs side in Kohli's recent absence.

“But I want to reiterate about our home season, it's never easy to beat anyone. We were challenged at different times and we came back.”