Kohli will be back ‘bigger and stronger’, says Oz pacer Starc

NEW DELHI: Mitchell Starc may have won the opening duel against Indian skipper Virat Kohli by getting the star batsman out for a duck in the first Test, but the Australian fast bowler insists the battle has just begun.

Starc triggered India’s downfall in last week’s first Test in Pune by claiming the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara and Kohli in quick succession in the first innings before left-arm spinner Steve O’keefe took charge.

Australia bowled out India for paltry totals of 105 and 107 in the two innings, with O’keefe taking a total of 12 wickets as the visitors wrapped up a 333-run win inside three days.

Kohli, who has been in red-hot form in recent months, had a rare failure with scores of 0 and 13 in his two outings.

Guilty of chasing Starc’s wide delivery outside the off-stump, Kohli gave away a catch to Peter Handscomb at first slip and the batting soon fell apart on a sharply turning wicket.

KEY WICKET

“We know (Kohli) is going to

be another key wicket for the rest of the series. There’s six more times we’ve got to get him out to really cement this series,” Starc told reporters.

“We know he’ll come back bigger and stronger, but he’s one I’ll take over Pujara at the moment,” Starc said when asked to rate the importance of his twin strikes in Pune. Starc and Kohli are former team-mates for the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the Australian is well aware of how dangerous the Indian skipper can be once he gets his eye in.

“He’s a class player, we all know that. He’s scored a mountain of runs already this year. We’re going to have to be wary of that Virat comeback,” Starc said of Kohli, who has scored double centuries in four successive series. We are really happy that it happened that way for us, but we know that one Test is not going to win us the series. It’s three important Test matches to go.”

BHAJJI 0, AUSTRALIA 1

Now, Australian news website news.com.au has dubbed Bhajji “The Colossal Clown” in a take on all those who had predicted doom ahead of the tour.

There is no love lost between the Aussies and Harbhajan, who was at the centre of the ‘Monkeygate’ row on the 2007-8 tour and almost led to India abandoning the series midway after he was initially slapped a ban for ‘racial slur’. India completed the tour after the punishment was reduced to fine for ‘abusive language’ on appeal.

The article revisiting the predictions quotes Harbhajan’s combative comments: “If Australia play well, India will win 3-0. That is if Australia play well. Otherwise, 4-0. Looking at the composition, this is the weakest Australian side to tour India.”

Former skipper Sourav Ganguly, who captained Harbhajan in that 2001 series and another India player the Aussies love to hate, is “The Sheepish Shocker”. Ganguly’s reminded of his prediction: “It will be very difficult for Australia. I predicted before the England series that it would be 5-0.

It became 4-0. Australia will go the 4-0 way against India. I will be very surprised if India don’t

AUSSIE GREATS NOT SPARED

But Indians need not feel alone. Aussie spin legend Shane Warne may be the country’s highest wicket-taker, but he is “The Flipping Failure”.

The colourful Warne had expressed surprise when Steve O’keefe was brought on after lunch on Day 2, backing Nathan Lyon to do the job.

“When you first start a session pressure on the Indian batsmen and, without trying to be too harsh on Steve O’keefe, this is the weakest of the Australian bowlers.

You can understand Steve Smith trying to give him confidence, but there is a time and a place for Steve O’keefe to get his confidence, right now is the time for Australia to ram home the advantage with Nathan Lyon I believe at that end I think Steve

KREJZA’S ANGLE

So, what did Krejza predict?

“Steven O’keefe will — if he bowls well — succeed because his seam angle is very similar to the way the (Indian spinners) bowl. He can undercut it a bit which is why he doesn’t spin it a lot in Australian conditions and he’s extremely accurate. So bowling to right-handers, he’s beating the bat on both sides — if it doesn’t spin he can get inside edges or straight on to the pads for LBWS. And if it does spin then he’s going to get the edge.”

Now, Ravindra Jadeja Warne’s ‘Rockstar’, is the only left-hander in the Indian line-up and he bats at No 8.

O’keefe had four of his six sec ond-innings victims trapped leg before, while skipper Virat Kohl was sumptuously bowled shoul dering arms to a delivery which