PLOT TO GET KOHLI
Josh & Co. plan star’s downfall
CRICKET: Australia will have several plans up their sleeve in a bid to take down India superstar Virat Kohli this summer.
Kohli, who posted four centuries and tallied 692 runs during India’s previous tour of Australia, shapes as the visitors’ talisman in the four-Test series that starts in Adelaide on Thursday.
Australia proved last year in India they can subdue the world’s best batsman, restricting him to 46 runs at 9.2 in what was comfortably Kohli’s worst Test series with the bat.
But the captain’s Test average in Australia is an incredible 62 – better than any Indian to have played more than three Tests here.
Vice-captain Josh Hazlewood acknowledged the hosts needed to come up with different ploys to capture the prized wicket.
“With a player of that calibre you need a few options,” he said.
“It’ll depend on conditions and the wickets we get, as to what plan we go with.
“He’s one of those guys who can score pretty freely. A number of the guys in this Indian side can, but sometimes those risks bring the most rewards.
“It’s just about weighing that up and assessing how long we stay at each plan for ... and adapting once we’re on the field.”
The reliable right-armer wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, noting only that the Test squad has and will continue to study footage of Kohli and his teammates.
Kohli has previously used words and willow in Test battles with Australia, swapping barbs in a number of heated spats.
“Virat obviously thrives on that sort of stuff. It gets him going and he probably plays his best cricket when he’s doing that,” Hazlewood said.
“It’s going to be up to the individual as to how they want to handle it. I’m usually pretty quiet when I’m bowling. I’ll just go about my business.”
The paceman suggested India boasted arguably the best batting order in the world but also expressed hope Kohli’s scalp could go a long way to keeping them quiet.
“They feed a lot off him and how he goes about things,” Hazlewood said. “If we can make some early inroads in this first Test, it’s always crucial.
“If we can get on top of them early hopefully that filters through.
“Our bowling attack, we’re very confident. Based on last year, we had quite a good template there and it worked pretty well, so we’ll be looking to replicate that.”
Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon all played crucial roles in Australia’s 4-0 Ashes triumph last summer, each taking over 20 wickets.