On Wednesday, the flamboyant Indian skipper, Virat Kohli clarified that according to him the Australian team can be seen as vulnerable the ball-tampering scandal, but the Indian team will not leave any stone unturned to register first ever series win Down Under.
The opening Test of the series is scheduled to commence in a scorching Adelaide on Thursday. However, the hosts will be without batting powerhouses Steve Smith and David Warner, who remain banned and without them, India could have a golden opportunity to break their series drought.
But dangerman Kohli, who gave an insight of his preparations with a viral footage of a pre-Test batting exhibition in the nets — said he was taking nothing for granted.
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During the pre-match press conference, Kohli said, “I personally don’t think any Australian side is vulnerable at home. 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.”
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 warm-up game. In the warm-up game, Vijay hit a century and will face the new ball with KL Rahul.
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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, Mohammed Shami, and Jasprit Bumrah have been included for the first Test along with off-spinner Ravi Ashwin. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav missed out.
Describing the same, Virat said, “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. The bowlers are of the mindset that whatever the conditions or however hard it might be, they are just looking forward to performing.”
