No answers to the Kohli question
26 March 2016
Shane Watson admits Australia have run out of ideas on how to disrupt India batting maestro Virat Kohli when he's at the crease.
Kohli is undoubtedly one of the finest young batsmen in the world, and has been a particular thorn in Australia's side in recent memory.
Quick Single: Smith, Faulkner set up India showdown
This summer he dominated the ODI series between the two nations in a losing cause, posting two centuries and averaging 76.2 in five matches.
He followed it up with scores of 90no, 59no and 50 in India's 3-0 T20I series clean sweep in January.
A summer further back, he plundered four Test centuries in as many matches Down Under, amassing a whopping 692 runs at 86.5.
Always up for a fight, Kohli has not backed down when the Australians have ignited a war of words on the pitch, but nothing appears to faze the 27-year-old.
"We’ve tried a few different things," Watson said. "It hasn't really worked.
"The silent treatment, we thought might work but he still just goes about his business and is able to churn out the runs.
"And we've also gone fairly hard at him as well, at times.
"I've only ever seen it affect him for about two balls, once (at the MCG in 2014), and I dropped him at slip.
"He knows his game incredibly well and whichever way we go we're just going to have to be at our best to try and get him out early.
"Because once he gets in he certainly knows how to put pressure on bowlers."
Kohli took a keen liking to allrounder James Faulkner in the Melbourne ODI, reminding the Tasmanian "I've smashed you enough in my life" and that there was "no point" sledging him.
But Faulkner says that is all under the bridge now and it was just another attempt to rattle the prolific batsman, who went on to post 117 that day.
"I saw him (Kohli) at the hotel in Bangalore, he's fine," Faulkner said. "There's nothing going on there, it's just a bit of friendly banter.
"We know how good a player he is and everyone tries to get good players off their game."
Quick Single: 'Freak' Smith a man apart: Maxwell
Kohli says that fiery nature has always been inside him, borne through a combination of his upbringing and his desire to be the No.1 target of opposing teams.
"I think it comes from the family," Kohli revealed to Glenn Maxwell on cricket.com.au.
WATCH: Virat Kohli recently sat down with Glenn Maxwell for cricket.com.au and spoke in detail about why he is so fiery and competitive on the field of play
"My father was a Leo, so he was a fighter himself, (he) believed a lot in himself as well.
"I think it comes a bit from the family and growing up in the Delhi cricket system, it wasn't easy to come up, so you always had to fight your way up the system and that makes you mentally tougher.
"When you're young, you're growing up, you want to score in every game and that makes you mentally tougher and you stop worrying about the things around you and the people around you and you just focus on what you have to do.
"When I came into the international level I always believed I wanted the opposition to want to get me out.
"I don't want to be just another player in the XI, I want to be the player they want to get out as quickly as possible.
"That was always my mindset and all those things combined together, and they help you do what you can do on the field."
26 March 2016
Shane Watson admits Australia have run out of ideas on how to disrupt India batting maestro Virat Kohli when he's at the crease.
Kohli is undoubtedly one of the finest young batsmen in the world, and has been a particular thorn in Australia's side in recent memory.
Quick Single: Smith, Faulkner set up India showdown
This summer he dominated the ODI series between the two nations in a losing cause, posting two centuries and averaging 76.2 in five matches.
He followed it up with scores of 90no, 59no and 50 in India's 3-0 T20I series clean sweep in January.
A summer further back, he plundered four Test centuries in as many matches Down Under, amassing a whopping 692 runs at 86.5.
Always up for a fight, Kohli has not backed down when the Australians have ignited a war of words on the pitch, but nothing appears to faze the 27-year-old.
"We’ve tried a few different things," Watson said. "It hasn't really worked.
"The silent treatment, we thought might work but he still just goes about his business and is able to churn out the runs.
"And we've also gone fairly hard at him as well, at times.
"I've only ever seen it affect him for about two balls, once (at the MCG in 2014), and I dropped him at slip.
"He knows his game incredibly well and whichever way we go we're just going to have to be at our best to try and get him out early.
"Because once he gets in he certainly knows how to put pressure on bowlers."
Kohli took a keen liking to allrounder James Faulkner in the Melbourne ODI, reminding the Tasmanian "I've smashed you enough in my life" and that there was "no point" sledging him.
But Faulkner says that is all under the bridge now and it was just another attempt to rattle the prolific batsman, who went on to post 117 that day.
"I saw him (Kohli) at the hotel in Bangalore, he's fine," Faulkner said. "There's nothing going on there, it's just a bit of friendly banter.
"We know how good a player he is and everyone tries to get good players off their game."
Quick Single: 'Freak' Smith a man apart: Maxwell
Kohli says that fiery nature has always been inside him, borne through a combination of his upbringing and his desire to be the No.1 target of opposing teams.
"I think it comes from the family," Kohli revealed to Glenn Maxwell on cricket.com.au.
"My father was a Leo, so he was a fighter himself, (he) believed a lot in himself as well.
"I think it comes a bit from the family and growing up in the Delhi cricket system, it wasn't easy to come up, so you always had to fight your way up the system and that makes you mentally tougher.
"When you're young, you're growing up, you want to score in every game and that makes you mentally tougher and you stop worrying about the things around you and the people around you and you just focus on what you have to do.
"When I came into the international level I always believed I wanted the opposition to want to get me out.
"I don't want to be just another player in the XI, I want to be the player they want to get out as quickly as possible.
"That was always my mindset and all those things combined together, and they help you do what you can do on the field."
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thank you :)