India vs Australia: Virat Kohli More Excited Than Nervous About Lively Perth Pitch

Team India skipper Virat Kohli revealed that he was excited about the lively strip in Perth for the second Test against Australia starting Friday. He pointed out that the visitors' bowling attack of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah are "at the peak of their abilities" and can more than match anything that the hosts hurl their way. "We certainly get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches now because we understand that we do have a bowling attack that can bowl the opposition out as much as they are confident about their attack," Kohli said at the press conference ahead of the second Test of the four-match series on Thursday.

Virat Kohli holds no fears over the Perth Stadium pitch for the second #AUSvIND Test... pic.twitter.com/gvxruTtcF3

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 13, 2018

"When you have fast bowlers who are at the peak of their abilities it is always a great thing to have in the side.

"And as batsmen it gives us a lot of motivation and boosts us up to put in those significant match-winning batting performances, because we have so much belief in our bowling unit at the moment.

An exciting contest awaits at Perth with a lot on offer for the quicks ???? #TeamIndia #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/k3Y7CQ8DQF

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 13, 2018

"We understand that if we bat well, we will definitely get the result that we want."

However, Kohli cautioned his team not be complacent, noting that "we need to keep repeating good things to win series".

WACA curator Brett Sipthorpe unveiled a bright green pitch on the eve of Perth Test and it is expected to provide a much-coveted balance between bat and ball.

The visiting Indian teams have struggled on pacy and bouncy Australian pitches in the past and Virat Kohli's side may face one of the fastest and bounciest wickets in the world.

"We've just been told make it fast, make it bouncy if you can and run with it," Sipthorpe was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

The visitors were dealt massive blows ahead of the second Test when Ravichandran Ashwin and Rohit Sharma were ruled out with injuries, while opener Prithvi Shaw is still recovering on the sidelines.

Ashwin took six wickets in the first Test, while Rohit had scores of 37 and one under his belt.

Kohli said that he is undaunted despite the injury blows and his team all well-equipped to win their first-ever Test series Down Under.

"We are definitely confident of the percentage of chances we have and we want to build on that," Kohli said.

"Obviously Australia is going to be a strong team in their home conditions and on a wicket like Perth, which probably offers you more than most other pitches in Australia. But we have an equal chance."

India went 1-0 up in the four-Test series after a tense, 31-run win in Adelaide earlier this week - their first victory in Australia in a decade.

(With AFP inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Virat Kohli Australia vs India 2018/19 Cricket Australia vs India, 2nd Test