Former Australian skipper, Steve Waugh has said on-field sledging by Australia during the upcoming Test series against India can backfire especially against Virat Kohli. The legendary cricketer also warned the hosts that their on-field tactics can trigger motivation to do better for the Indian skipper. India will tour Down Under for a full-fledged tour which will start later this month.
Virat Kohli & his men will be flying to Australia after the conclusion of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 in the UAE. The final of the 13th edition of the tournament is scheduled to be played on November 10 while Team India is scheduled to leave the gulf country on November 12. There are only three more games left to be played in IPL 2020.
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During a recent interview on SNTV, Waugh was heard saying, “Sledging is not going to worry Virat Kohli, it doesn’t work against the great players and you’re better off leaving those guys alone. I think any extra motivation will make them dig in more and get more runs. So you’re better off not saying much to him.”
Team India will be looking to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar series by defeated the team from Down Under at their home grounds. The much-anticipated Test series will start with a day-night match in Adelaide on December 17 before Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane host the other three Tests. Prior to the Test series, both the teams will also play three ODIs beginning November 27 and as many T20Is.
India has retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2017. They had registered a historic series win in Australia in the 2018-19 series to keep the trophy with themselves. Under the captaincy of Virat Kohli, the Indian team will be looking to put up a similar performance in the upcoming series too. India has already finalized its squads for the challenging tour.
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The series in Australia will mark the resumption of international cricket for India. Team India hasn’t played a single game since the tour of New Zealand ended in early March. They were about to commence the ODI series with South Africa at home before the coronavirus pandemic halted the game worldwide.
Team India’s Test squad for Australia tour:
Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj
