Debasis Sen, Hyderabad: Following the comprehensive test match win against Bangladesh, Indian captain Virat Kohli has set his eyes on the forthcoming series against Australia.
“I thought England was the biggest series for us this season, but having won that 4-0, we want to consolidate on that against Australia. Everyone’s minds and hearts are already on it,” said Kohli at the post-match presentation ceremony, where he picked the man-of-the-match award.
The Indian captain on Monday became the third most successful test captain for India. Kohli with 15 test wins is just behind Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sourav Ganguly who have 27 & 21 wins respectively. He has also been unbeaten for 19 tests so far. The 28 year old now has made it clear that he is not someone who looks back at milestones.
Kohli has always enjoyed his rivalry with Australia over the years. His maiden Test hundred had come against the Aussies in 2012 in Adelaide. During the series in 2014-15, Kohli left his first impression as captain. He scored hundreds in both innings at Adelaide to take India close to an improbable win. He hammered two more hundreds in the same series and finished with 692 runs from four Tests.
There is plenty of talk in the Australian captain about how to deal with Kohli. While coach Darren Lehmann admitted his team was yet to finalise on plans to stop the Indian run-machine, skipper Steve Smith felt it might be a good idea to make his Indian counterpart angry.
However, former Australian batsman Michael Hussey said Smith’s men should avoid engaging in verbal battles with Kohli as he thrives on those situations.
India’s head coach Anil Kumble predicted a “tough series” against Australia. “We are now looking forward to face Australia, it will be a tough 4-Test series, really pleased with all the things we are doing, the top-order, middle and lower order- everyone has chipped in, it augurs well for our future.
The four match Test series against Australia gets underway in Pune from February 23.