India vs Australia 2017: Virat Kohli is in the form of the decade, says David Warner
Ind vs Aus 2017: Virat Kohli is in the form of his life for the Indian cricket team. (Source: PTI) Ind vs Aus 2017: Virat Kohli is in the form of his life for the Indian cricket team. (Source: PTI)
More often than not, build-up to every India series these days has a heavy mention of either Virat Kohli or Ashwin, and at times both. The two continue to deliver match after match, series after series and continue to trigger panic in the opposition dressing room. Australia are no different. Returning to the country where they lost 0-4 in 2013, the visitors have a stiff challenge. And, they have on-song Kohli to deal with. The right-hander has hit four double hundreds in consecutive series for India, and he’s in no mood to stop.
David Warner, in an interaction with India Today, was all praise for “fantastic player” Kohli and feels he has been exceptional across formats for India.
“Kohli is in the form of the decade. He is a fantastic player and a great sport. He is exceptional in all formats and he is taking the entire country on a journey. He wants the country to ride with him. Virat is frank and he calls spade a spade. Joe Root, Steve Smith, Faf du Plessis and Kohli thrive on responsibility. These young players are unstoppable,” said Warner.
Most former Australia captains want Warner to take the lead role, with the bat, during the India series and convert those hundreds into big ones. The left-hander is all focussed to do the same and takes inspiration from Kohli to “score big tons”
“Chances can slip very fast in India. Preparation is important and there can be no excuses. Have to stay as fresh as possible and convert the big 100’s into 200’s. Virat is a great example of scoring big tons,” said Warner.
One of the most vocal characters in the game, Warner didn’t quite reveal his sledging plans for Kohli but asserted that Australia would continue to play their brand of cricket.
“Sledging can work both ways with Virat. Great players know how to deal with it. We have to find a way of getting into the opposition’s minds. It could be banter or field placements. It is actually playing your brand of cricket. Sledging or banter is just one of the ways to upset the opposition,” said Warner.
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