The conundrum Australia confronted on Sunday night will be a recurring theme this summer – how do they stop India superstar Virat Kohli.
"It's a good question," Australia keeper Alex Carey said.
India captain Virat Kohli.Credit:AAP
Carey was behind the stumps throughout Kohli's knock of 61 not out at the SCG, where the gun batsman steered the tourists to their first win of the tour.
Kohli, kicking himself after scoring four in the Twenty20 series opener at the Gabba, was typically animated during the match-winning innings but the dig itself was textbook composure.
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He took his time to get in then, just as the run-rate required hit 10, crushed Australia's hopes of victory with a couple of sweetly-timed boundaries.
"He obviously played really well … we've seen him do that before and he did it again," Carey said.
"Hopefully in Tests it's a different story, we've got some good quicks and Nathan Lyon."
Spinner Krunal Pandya, among the members of India's T20 squad who will now return home, is excited to see how his compatriots fare in their bid for a maiden Test series win in Australia.
"I am pretty sure India will do well," Pandya said.
Pandya noted Kohli's SCG masterclass was no surprise.
"Virat has done it a number of times … having Virat in the middle is something different," he said.
"He is so consistent, sometimes he fights with the law of averages.
"He sets very high standards for everyone, so you can consistently perform at this level.
"He has played his cricket being aggressive and that has worked for him … off the field he is an easygoing guy, easy to approach and cracks a lot of jokes. There is a drastic difference."
Kohli deflected praise during the post-match ceremony, highlighting a 67-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan plus Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten 22.
Aussie skipper Aaron Finch chats with Kohli after the latter's impressive performance at the SCG.Credit:AAP
"Things become pretty easy when those two guys at the top do that job for us. I couldn't have asked for a better start, chasing a tricky total," Kohli said.
"DK showed great composure at the death along with me.
"A level series is a great show of how the teams have played."
India's Test squad is expected to have Monday off before hitting the nets on Tuesday. Their four-day clash with a Cricket Australia XI starts on Wednesday.
That SCG match will be the tourists' only chance to tune up for the first Test, which starts in Adelaide on December 6.
The CA XI squad features five players without any first-class experience. Aaron Summers and Luke Robins have been added to the squad in place of Harry Conway (Sheffield Shield call-up) and David Grant (injured).
AAP
The conundrum Australia confronted on Sunday night will be a recurring theme this summer – how do they stop India superstar Virat Kohli.
"It's a good question," Australia keeper Alex Carey said.
India captain Virat Kohli.Credit:AAP
Carey was behind the stumps throughout Kohli's knock of 61 not out at the SCG, where the gun batsman steered the tourists to their first win of the tour.
Kohli, kicking himself after scoring four in the Twenty20 series opener at the Gabba, was typically animated during the match-winning innings but the dig itself was textbook composure.
Advertisement
He took his time to get in then, just as the run-rate required hit 10, crushed Australia's hopes of victory with a couple of sweetly-timed boundaries.
"He obviously played really well … we've seen him do that before and he did it again," Carey said.
"Hopefully in Tests it's a different story, we've got some good quicks and Nathan Lyon."
Spinner Krunal Pandya, among the members of India's T20 squad who will now return home, is excited to see how his compatriots fare in their bid for a maiden Test series win in Australia.
"I am pretty sure India will do well," Pandya said.
Pandya noted Kohli's SCG masterclass was no surprise.
"Virat has done it a number of times … having Virat in the middle is something different," he said.
"He is so consistent, sometimes he fights with the law of averages.
"He sets very high standards for everyone, so you can consistently perform at this level.
"He has played his cricket being aggressive and that has worked for him … off the field he is an easygoing guy, easy to approach and cracks a lot of jokes. There is a drastic difference."
Kohli deflected praise during the post-match ceremony, highlighting a 67-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan plus Dinesh Karthik's unbeaten 22.
Aussie skipper Aaron Finch chats with Kohli after the latter's impressive performance at the SCG.Credit:AAP
"Things become pretty easy when those two guys at the top do that job for us. I couldn't have asked for a better start, chasing a tricky total," Kohli said.
"DK showed great composure at the death along with me.
"A level series is a great show of how the teams have played."
India's Test squad is expected to have Monday off before hitting the nets on Tuesday. Their four-day clash with a Cricket Australia XI starts on Wednesday.
That SCG match will be the tourists' only chance to tune up for the first Test, which starts in Adelaide on December 6.
The CA XI squad features five players without any first-class experience. Aaron Summers and Luke Robins have been added to the squad in place of Harry Conway (Sheffield Shield call-up) and David Grant (injured).
AAP
