XtraTime Web Desk – Indians are curiously awaiting the start of the Australian series and this time the Indian team is going Down Under with valor and confidence of the last Test series win, which was the first ever on Australian soil. This time however, the series will be a lot challenging with the return of Australian superstars David Warner and Steve Smith.
One of the most anticipated battle everyone is looking forward to is between the two modern greats, Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Former Australian captain, Steve Waugh talked about this in a video posted by ESPNCricinfo, “He (Kohli) is a world-class player. He would want to be the batsman of the series. Last time, he and Smith came up against each other in India, Smith really dominated with three hundreds and Kohli didn’t get many,”
“That would be at the back of his mind that last time he was outscored by Steve Smith. So, he will want to score lot of runs and if he does, India will have a great chance of winning.” He added.
Waugh also thinks that sledging, which is infamous in Australian cricket, is not really going to affect Kohli. He said “Sledging is not going to worry Virat Kohli, it doesn’t work against the great players and you’re better off leaving those guys alone. I think any extra motivation will make them dig in more and get more runs. So you’re better off not saying much to him,”
In the last Border-Gavaskar series in Australia, Australia captain Tim Paine and his men were involved in a series of verbal spat with Kohli which kept on motivating him and ended with the visitors registering their first ever Test series (2-1) win Down Under.
Lauding Kohli for his captaincy, Waugh said, “He has definitely matured, he was always excitable on the field, may be a little not in control. But now he is totally in control and he has got the team playing in his mode. He wants India to prove themselves away from home to justify the number one ranking. He has taken them to a level that maybe they didn’t get to before,”.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will begin with a day-night(Pink ball) encounter at the Adelaide Oval on December 17, followed by Tests at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground and the Gabba.