Kohli taking nothing for granted as Paine eyes victory, respect
ADELAIDE: Superstar skipper Virat Kohli on Wednesday played down suggestions Australia are vulnerable after the ball-tampering scandal, as his India side try to win a series Down Under for the irst time.
Australia begin the opening Test in a scorching Adelaide on Thursday on a run of poor form and without batting powerhouses Steve Smith and David Warner, who remain banned.
Without them, India could have a golden opportunity to break their series drought.
But dangerman Kohli — who electrified viewers with viral footage of a pre-test batting exhibition in the nets — said he was taking nothing for granted.
“I personally don’t think any Australian side is vulnerable at home,” he said at his pre-match press conference, where a 12-man squad was named that included a recall for veteran opener Murali Vijay.
“You cannot take any side for granted. Whatever happened, the skill level is still there. However much you talk or behave, it’s your skill that counts.
“They still have the skill to dominate at home. We’re not taking anything for granted.” Much will depend on how Kohli, who has accumulated 1,063 runs in 18 Test innings this year, performs on a ground he admits is his favourite away from home.
“I love coming to this ground, the city in general,” he said.
“That’s not to say that performances are always guaranteed in a certain place, but at Adelaide I feel different from many other places.”
If his aggressive net session on Tuesday is anything to go by, Australia’s bowlers will have their work cut out.
“Wow,” was all former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist could muster after watching him in action, while ex-england skipper Michael Vaughan tweeted: “I get the sense he is in the mood!”
Vijay, who was dropped following a pair in the second Test against England this year, won back his place after promising young opener Prithvi Shaw was ruled out after suffering ankle ligament damage in a warmup game.
India opted to hold back the naming of their final XI until the morning of the Test as they mull whether to play all-rounder Hanuma Vihari or hard-hitting batter Rohit Sharma.
Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Jasprit Bumrah will lead their pace attack -- ranked among the country’s strongest ever -- along with off-spinner Ravi Ashwin. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav missed out.
“The guys (bowlers) feel that they are at the peak of their skill levels at the moment and they are looking forward to this challenge,” said Kohli.
“The bowlers are of the mindset that whatever the conditions or however hard it might be, they are just looking forward to performing.”
But the world’s number one Test side are only too aware that away from home, their form is fragile. They went down 2-1 in South Africa and then 4-1 in England this year.
While the bowlers are in a great space, Kohli has so often carried the team and he urged character from his fellow batsmen.
“If the batsmen apply themselves it can be a great place to bat,” he said of Adelaide.
“But it takes character. And I think the Australia team has great skills, especially their bowlers are really strong.
“We need to step up as a batting group, we understand that. There just needs to be a collective performance (bowlers and batters) on a regular basis.”
WINNING BACK HEARTS
For many Australians, the first ball of a home test series marks the start of a gradual winding down, when workers breathe easier in the leadup to Christmas and enjoy tuning in to watch the toil of the country’s best cricketers.
For Tim Paine’s team, however, Thursday’s opening delivery of the first test against India marks the start of a long summer job to win back the hearts of a sceptical public.
Nine months on from the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, fans will turn up to Adelaide Oval as always, some having ducked out early from their workplaces in a city that loves the sport like few others.
Many will be curious about what to expect.
Some will nurse a rare feeling of apprehension having read reports about the country’s worst ever batting lineup set to take on an Indian team with a rare surfeit of quality pacemen.
Others will feel Australia are barely recognisable from their last visit, when Steve Smith’s side hammered England by 120 runs on the way to an eventual 4-0 Ashes triumph.
With Smith and David Warner serving bans for ball-tampering, Paine’s team have had little to celebrate and even less inclination to indulge in chest-thumping aggression.
MARSH AXED
Australia sprang a surprise by axing vice-captain Mitch Marsh on Wednesday for the first Test against India, as Usman Khawaja’s return was confirmed despite the shock of his brother’s arrest.
Batsmen Travis Head and Peter Handscomb were preferred to the all-rounder, piling more pressure on the bowlers in what are forecast to be scorching conditions, while Marcus Harris will make his debut as opener.
Captain Tim Paine said the omission of Marsh, one of Australia’s two vice-skippers along with Josh Hazlewood, was due to a lack of consistency and he would benefit from returning to Sheffield Shield cricket to find form again.
Handscomb edged him out after two half-centuries last week and a century for Victoria the week before that.
“Mitch Marsh has not been as consistent as he would like and we would like,” said Paine at his prematch press conference, after the all-rounder endured lean tours of South Africa and the UAE, where they played Pakistan.
Paine described Harris as “an aggressive little player” who deserved his chance.
“He can play his shots but he’s also really improved his defence. He’s come a long way as a batsman.”
REAL FRESH QUICKS
The dumping of Mitch Marsh will add an extra burden for Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon, who will have to take on more overs in temperatures forecast to top 30 Celsius.
“We obviously have a lot of confidence in Nathan Lyon bowling a lot of overs if we need to,” said Paine, adding that Head could also bowl some off-spin on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate as the match wears on.
“And probably the fact that all our three quicks go in real fresh. We have confidence in them, particularly at the start of the series. They are ready to go and have had great preparations.”
Given the hot weather, Paine admitted he will bat first if he wins the toss.
Langer said he was wary of an Indian side led by the incomparable Virat Kohli, that is aiming to win their first Test series ever in Australia.
“They haven’t had great success in Australia in the past, as Australia haven’t had in India. They’ll also be under great pressure, I think.”