Indians ready for a fight: Virat Kohli

India's stand-in skipper Virat Kohli says his side will be aggressive as they chase a maiden Test series win in Australia.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will captain India in the first Test against Australia. (AAP)

Expect aggressive fields, plenty of lip and no shortage of confidence from Virat Kohli when he becomes India's 32nd Test captain.

MS Dhoni batted in the nets on Sunday, but the tourists decided on Monday to give him another week to recover from a thumb injury.

It means Wriddhiman Saha will take the gloves at Adelaide Oval, while Kohli will skipper the Test side this week as they bid to start the four-Test series with a victory.

India have never won a series in Australia.

They have tallied five wins from the 40 Tests they've played here.

"We have a mindset of winning the series rather than going out there and seeing what happens," Kohli said on Monday.

"The intent is going to be aggressive.

"I don't mind a fight. I don't mind a bit of chat on the field. A bit of banter.

"I don't mind all that. It probably makes me more determined."

Mitchell Johnson hasn't forgotten the unsolicited advice he received from Kohli and teammates during Australia's woeful Test tour of India last year.

"They were pretty chirpy and they let us know how good they were going," Johnson said.

"I know they've already been saying a few things. That's good they're talking about us."

Johnson noted Kohli "didn't have the best series in England", referencing the 26-year-old's average of 13.40 in this year's five-Test series.

Kohli got on the front foot when the England series was raised.

"I don't know why that England phase is still spoken about, most of us don't want to remember it," he said.

"If you keep sulking about the past, there's no way you're going to move on in life."

As for Johnson, Kohli said India would not be "giving him too much importance".

Kohli explained Dhoni's omission by saying the side wanted him to be "100 per cent fit ... (and having had) enough practice here".

Kohli vowed to be his own man when it came to field placings, bowling changes, and potentially risking defeat to chase victory.

"I'm going to go with my gut feel," he said.

"It might look funny, but as long as it's effective.

"You might see things quite different from what you usually see."

However, he suggested Dhoni remains central to India's planning this week.

"His influence is ever so important to the team ... he's been there, done that and seen possibly every situation in cricket, Kohli said.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world