Australian cricket legend Glenn McGrath has urged his nation to make the most of India’s vulnerable state heading into this Friday’s Test series opener.
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As the tourists fine tune themselves for another Border-Gavaskar Trophy on foreign soil, noise around India, their recent form and the output of veteran stars has grown considerably.
And as a result, McGrath is expecting Australia to pile on the pressure.
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It’s no secret that former Indian captain Virat Kohli is out of form heading into the Australian summer.
For so long was he the nucleus of his country’s batting line-up in Test cricket, the 36-year-old has been well below his best for several years now.
He barely averages 30 on his home soil since the turn of the decade, and averages just 22.72 in his six Test matches this year.
And with India arriving to Australia on the back of a record 3-nil whitewash at the hands of New Zealand, confidence will be nowhere near as organic as it has been in the last four Border-Gavaskar Trophies; all of which they have won 2-1.
McGrath, who took 563 Test wickets at an eye-watering average of just 21.64, is all in favour of Australia using all the “ammunition” to kick India to the kerb this summer.
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“Without a doubt, especially after coming off a 3-0 loss against New Zealand, you’ve got plenty of ammunition to back yourself up,” McGrath told CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny.
“So put the pressure on them and see if they’re up for it.”
How long-time antagonist Kohli handles both his team’s pressure, but also his own form worries, this summer will be fascinating to say the least.
He has been the country’s most important — and reliable — performer in the face of adversity, and his career stats tell you everything you need to know; he loves playing against the Aussies.
In the case that Australia do take up McGrath’s advice and go hard after Kohli and co. though, the right-arm seamer believes it can really only go one of two ways.
“If they go hard at him, if he gets in the fight with emotions, there’s a bit of chat out there, who knows he might sort of lift,” McGrath added.
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“But I think he’s probably under pressure a little bit, and if he has a couple of low scores to start with, he could really feel it.
“I think he’s quite an emotional player. When he’s up, he’s up, and when he’s down, he sort of struggles a little bit.”
How Kohli will fare in what is almost certainly his last Test tour of Australia remains to be seen, but with young gun Shubman Gill ruled out of the First Test with a finger injury — the pressure on Kohli is only growing.
The one question that begs now in the Australian camp is: ‘Do they poke the bear that’s bitten them time and time again?’
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