Virat Kohli has experience of leading Team India in the limited-overs format, but the star batsman will take a bigger responsibility, when he will skipper the side in the first Test against Australia at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, starting December 4.
Kohli, who will be India’s 35th Test skipper, insisted that he is ready to lead India in whites and there shouldn’t be any issues while captaining the side. “I love leading the side,” Kohli said. “I love being captain.”
Under Kohli’s captaincy, the men in blue recently thumped Sri Lanka 5-0 in the ODI series at home, but playing against Australia, in Australia, will be a different ball-game altogether for the World Champions.
Team India doesn’t have a great record in Australia, and in their recent oversees tour they were humbled by England. Without talisman and regular skipper MS Dhoni, who is injured, the task has only got tougher.
“I’m pretty confident of the ability the guys have,” Kohli insisted. “It’s up to me how I handle them, how I handle different situations. As long as the team backs me and puts in the performances we want, I think I’m going to look good at the end of the day.”
Meanwhile, the war of words have already started between the two teams as Aussie pacer Peter Siddle has warned the stand-in skipper to beware of hostile Gabba crown in the series opener.
“Well that’s for me to know and for me to experience,” Kohli said. “I’ve played against him, he’s quite a competitive guy so I’m not surprised there’s already some banter starting from that end … (and) I don’t mind all that.”
