‘That can backfire.’
Australian cricket legend Mark Taylor has sent a serious warning to Pat Cummins and his team ahead of the first Test in Perth.
With the Border-Gavaskar Test series against India blasting off today (Friday), the former captain is telling the Australians to keep their mouths zipped.
In particular, Taylor thinks the Aussies should not poke the bear ... the bear being 36-year-old superstar Virat Kohli.
The veteran batter has struck just two centuries in his past 60 Test innings and was restricted to just 93 runs at an average of 15.5 during India’s shock 3-0 loss to New Zealand in India.
But it is a sensitive topic for India and Taylor says now is not the time to start sledging.
“I reckon that can backfire, particularly on Kohli,” Taylor said on 2GB.
“If I was the Aussies, I’d be staying pretty quiet (and) just hitting a wide length around off stump and seeing if they can keep him under wraps by nicking balls. He has been doing this of late.
“(But) I wouldn’t be saying too much to Virat.
“He loves that combativeness of Test match cricket and that’s why he loves playing against the Aussies.
“I remember interviewing him 10 years ago when he came over. He was really looking forward to the series and having the Australians in his face — bowling quick, bowling bouncers. He seems to thrive on that.
“That’s going to be one of the great contests of this series.
“I always fear someone like Virat Kohli when they’re out of form because he’s just too good of a player for this sort of slump to continue.
“He does love playing here, he does love pace and bounce on the ball so he enjoys our conditions and averages 54 against Australia.
“So, he’ll be up for it. There is no doubt.
“He’s been worried about his form, he’s been working really hard over here from all reports to try and get it right, so Australia need to keep him down.”
Meanwhile, stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah believes there are “ominous” signs that Kohli is returning to his best.
“He is one of the greats of the game,” Bumrah said.
“He’s the utmost professional that we have in our team. He’s got a lot of success.
“He’s one of the leaders, I made my debut under him, so he knows what he’s doing.
“OK, one or two series here and there can go up and down, but the confidence that he has at this moment, I have no doubts ... and he’s mentally switched on.
“He’s looking to contribute. And the way I’ve seen him at training ... the signs are ominous.
“I don’t want to jinx it by saying anything else, but yes, he’s looking in very good shape.”
India have held the Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2016/17.
They have pulled off two series wins in Australia since then, but their hopes of doing it again have been dealt a number of blows in the lead-up to the latest showdown.
Regular skipper Rohit Sharma will miss the first Test in Perth after remaining in India for the birth of his second child.
Young star Shubman Gill will also be absent after injuring his thumb at training last week, while veteran paceman Mohammed Shami is still building his fitness following an ankle injury.
Indian fans are still struggling to digest their team’s dismal performance against NZ on home soil, but Bumrah said the players are primed to bounce back.
“The beauty about cricket is even if you win, you start from zero, and even if you lose you start from zero,” Bumrah said.
“So that’s how I look at the game.
The first Test begins on Friday, November 22 and is scheduled to run through to Tuesday, November 26.
For the very first time Australians can stream the cricket live and free on 7plus Sport on any device — anytime and anywhere.
Seven’s coverage kicks off at 12.30pm AEDT each day ahead of the first ball at 1.20pm AEDT.
