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‘Adversary’ Mitchell Johnson expresses his big ’Virat Kohli' desire ahead of Perth Test: ‘One more Test ton…’
Mitchell Johnson has expressed his desire to see Virat Kohli notch up one more century in Australia.
Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson who has had many duels with Virat Kohli on the field, wants the maverick India batter to score one more hundred Down Under, in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The series which gets underway on November 22 in Perth, might possibly be Virat's last tour in Australia, and fans cannot wait to see whether the right-handed batter is able to change his fortunes around in the marquee five-match series.
Virat Kohli has been going through a horrendous run off late, as he has registered just two centuries in the longest format, in the last four years. In the last ten innings, the 36-year-old has scored just one half-century, and it came against New Zealand in Bengaluru.
"The 36-year-old is most likely in Australia for the final time on a Test tour. It’s a place he’s done well. He averages 54.08 in Australia – higher than his career average of 47.83 and few batsmen around the world can say that," Johnson wrote in his column for The West Australian.
"His form hasn’t been at its best recently and he will be under pressure to perform again here in front of the many Indian fans who will turn out," he added.
Would like to see Virat 'make one more Test ton' in Australia
Mitchell Johnson, who went head-to-head against Kohli in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, also expressed his desire to see Kohli notch up one more century in Australia.
"I wonder if the situation will give him all the determination he needs or if it will all be too much for him. As a fan now watching on, maybe I’d like to see him make one more Test ton in Australia. As his adversary from a decade ago, maybe not," said Johnson.
"Ultimately, I want to see the best against the best and a series played with all the fire and urgency that has come to mark this great rivalry. And I know that’s where Virat will feel right at home," he added.
In his column, Mitchell Johnson described how Virat Kohli is significantly different to Sachin Tendulkar and how the former has changed Indian cricket.
"I remember hearing at the back end of Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag’s careers, a young Kohli would push his teammates to go harder at training, particularly with fielding drills. He would train like he played and pushed players around him to get better. Kohli was demanding but he is one of those players you want in your team because he has your back and that is important in team sports," said Johnson.
"I could sense a difference in the Indian team I played against in 2014/15, my last full Aussie summer before I retired from international cricket the following November. They were competitive and confident they could beat us at home and while they didn’t do it that summer, won 2-0 by Australia over four Tests, that was the last time the Aussies have won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Indian team now speak in the media with confidence, even arrogance – though not in a bad way," he added.
Speaking further, Mitchell Johnson said, "The Kohli way has rubbed off on many of his teammates across his long career and he has set up the future as well."
