Purple patch is believed to have hit Virat Kohli strongly, and the Australian team is wary of the fact. From the past one year, Virat Kohli has scored over 1000 runs in Tests and has already bettered handful of records in the meantime too. Recently, during the Bangladesh Test, he surpassed Sir Donald Bradman’s record by scoring four double hundreds in four consecutive Test series.
To put a stop on Virat Kohli’s insane run-of-form, former Australian batsman Michael Hussey has laid down a blueprint for his side’s fast bowlers, who would be up against Virat in a very short while from now.
Mitchell Starc, who is believed to be Australia’s best bet against the Indian captain, has made Michael Hussey feel a bit comfortable with his form lately.
Commenting on Starc’s ability to topple even the best batsmen in their own conditions, Hussey said:
“I think Starc is a brilliant bowler for the sub-continental conditions. He bowls at a genuine pace, can swing the new ball and is an excellent exponent of reverse swing. I am sure he will challenge Kohli throughout the series. It will, however, take a collective effort to stop Kohli, who has been phenomenal of late.”
Speaking to PTI, Hussey said Steven Smith must be confident heading into the series, having played in sub-continent before and even in the IPL a fair number of times. Hussey feels that Smith, who not long back led Australia to the Test series win against Pakistan, has his tactics intact and is ready to roar.
“He has experience of playing in India, which is important both in Tests and at the IPL. I feel he needs to show a lot of faith and patience with his spinners and get the field right, with a nice balance of attacking and defending.”
Hussey, who played 79 Test matches for Australia, said David Warner and captain Smith will play a huge role in Australia’s quest to overturn their awful looking record in sub-continent since 2012. In the past 12 matches, Australia haven’t won a single game.
“There is always a lot of pressure on Warner and Steve Smith to score big runs for Australia. The good thing is that they are both very hungry for runs and love batting. India will be a huge challenge for both players but I am sure they are very determined to have an impact on the series.”
Hussey, 41, played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL in past and therefore knows a thing or two about his team-mates then, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Both spinners have been on a roll from past four months now.
The pair have been successful in tarnishing any hopes the visiting side have had against India during its home season so far. For his exceptional performance last year with both bat and ball, Ashwin was bestowed as the ICC’s Test Player of the Year too.
Hussey feels Australian batsmen are ready with their plan against the threatening spin duo.
“Well it’s going to have to be. Each batsman must have very clear plans on how they want to play both spinners and then execute that plan in the middle. It will be tough as they are both very effective bowlers in Indian conditions. Ashwin obviously understands the home conditions really well and knows how to utilize them. Similarly, Lyon probably has a better record in Australia for the same reasons.”
Ahead of the four-match series, Australia will be up against India A side in a three-day practice game in Mumbai, starting February 17.