Australian teams in the past, and present too, have been witnessed in some sledging, and they go that route to disturb the player's concentration. However, former Australia star Michael Hussey has warned the Australian team not to be involved in any such verbal spats with Virat Kohli when the Aussies travel to India for a tough four-match series, starting in Pune on February 23.
India vs England complete series review
Kohli is one of the best batsmen, if not the best, going around in world cricket, and he has been scoring huge runs for India in the all formats including Test match. In fact, India skipper Kohli finished the last five-match Test series against England as the highest run scorer with 655 runs. From such stats one can make out, he is in dangerous form.
The India captain is known for his competitive and positive nature, which he displays on the field. He will never shy away from a confrontation, as was witnessed in India's last tour of Australia in 2014/15 as well. Will there be verbal spats between Kohli and Australia players on the field in the upcoming Test series?
Hussey believes it is better off for the visitors to keep away from such acts against Kohli, who can be fired up to play an even better innings when confronted. The former batsman, rather than going the verbal route, wants Australia to have some good plans and execute those against Kohli.
"I wouldn't try and fire him up. I think he thrives on that and he's a real competitor. He loves being in the fight and loves the contest out in the middle. I'd make sure we have some very clear plans and we try and stick to them as best as we possibly can," Cricket Australia's official website quoted Hussey as saying.
"There's no need to get involved in that sort of verbal barrage because I think that fires him up even more. You don't want to get carried away with too much talk and lose your concentration of what's important, which is executing your skills," he added.
Whenever India and Australia clash in any format, there is some huge excitement with both teams being superpowers of world cricket. With India having shown some great form at home, defeating New Zealand and England comprehensively, Australia must be aware of the confident looking India team led by Kohli, who will be looking to win yet another Test series.
