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Cricket Players‘I’ve had some luck against him’: Star Australia bowler looks to reignite rivalry with Virat Kohli in Test series
India vs Australia: Australia will be keen to stop the Indian captain from scoring runs in the two innings that he has to offer.
Virat Kohli is set to return to India after the end of the first Test in Adelaide, and Australia will be keen to stop the Indian captain from scoring runs in the two innings that he has to offer. With the hosts keen on avenging the 1-2 series defeat the last time around, Kohli’s departure comes as a huge shot in the arm, but Australia will not take India’s batting order lightly, which gained some practice in the pink-ball practice match in Sydney.
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The first Test match of the series is crucial. It will be India’s only second-ever Day/Night Test, whereas Australia have won all seven pink ball Tests they’ve been a part of. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood identifies the significance of the series opener, and has his eyes set on renewing his battle with Kohli. Hazlewood dismissed the India captain all three times in the recently-concluded ODI series but admits he’s yet to have his number.
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“No, I don’t think so (I have the wood on him). I have had some luck against him of late in the white ball stuff. I mean you take a little bit into the next format. But I guess it is pretty much a fresh start. It is a different story with the pink ball but he obviously scored some runs with the red ball last time around,” Hazlewood told reporters.
“I think it is crucial to start well against him. We only got him for two innings in the one Test. It is crucial to start well and hopefully nullify his effect in those innings,” Hazlewood said.
As the pink ball tends to swing under lights, Hazlewood explained the importance of operating with it later in the day, recalling how England’s fast bowling pair of James Anderson and Stuart Broad used it ton great effect against Australia in a Day/Night Test from 2017.
“Yeah, obviously. I think the game moves very quickly at night compared to the day time, especially when the quicks are bowling,” Hazlewood said.
“But it depends on the type you have, if you have a new ball at night, if we go back to when we played England Jimmy (James Anderson) and Broady (Stuart Broad) were swinging around corners at night and the game moved very quickly. As opposed to that when you have an old ball at night with two batters set it can be pretty free-flowing if that makes sense.”
