Virat Kohli, the Indian captain, wants his side to quickly get a measure of the conditions, adapt and be consistent over their four-match Test series in Australia.
In India’s overseas tours of South Africa and England earlier this year, they lost the opening Tests. And while they bounced back for wins later, conceding the early advantage proved costly. Kohli, thus, hoped that the team would start on a positive note in the first Test in Adelaide starting on Thursday, December 6.
“We are not looking to start tentatively,” he told presspersons on the eve of the match. “We all want to express ourselves and go out there and be positive.
This is how the best in the world nets.
The sound his bat makes is 😍😍pic.twitter.com/TLkV6F6wNs
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 4, 2018
“We don’t want to wait to figure out what is happening with the conditions or the pitch. We need to read it really early and alter our games, which we couldn’t do in the last two tours. When we have done [so], we have won games. We have to do it for longer periods to win a series, which is our goal.
“We want to be a consistent side, and for that we have to adapt quicker than in the past.”
“The last time we played here, we had to be positive against him because he is such a good bowler – especially in these conditions,” said Kohli. “He understands the pace of the wicket and the bounce it will give him and where the fielders should be. He hits the bat harder and quicker than any other spinner I have faced in Australia.”
Yet, Kohli pointed out, Australia’s bowling would hunt in a pack. “You have to be at your best against their bowling attack … We have to back our game and we are confident of our skill set.”
