India can't take Australia lightly, says Virat Kohli's childhood coach Raj Kumar Sharma

Ahead of the forthcoming series against Australia, India skipper Virat Kohli’s childhood coach Raj Kumar Sharma has said that the assignment will be a challenging one for the Men in Blue. India will host Australia for three ODIs later this month with the series getting underway on January 14 at the Wankhede Stadium.

Australia are in fine form at the moment and have not lost a single game in their ongoing home season. They beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan in T20Is before thrashing the latter in Tests. Currently, they are playing a three-match Test series against New Zealand and have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead. One should also not forget how Australia performed when they visited India last year.

Before hosting Australia, India will play three T20Is against Sri Lanka, starting from January 5. And as India gear up to start 2020, Raj Kumar Sharma has sent them a timely reminder, telling the hosts not to expect an easy ride against Australia. “Australian series will be challenging. This time they are coming fully prepared. The Indian side can’t take them lightly,” said Sharma as quoted by Latestly.

Despite being the underdogs, they surprised everyone by sweeping the two-match T20I series before winning the ODIs 3-2. What made that win even more remarkable was that India had won the first two ODIs before the Kangaroos won the next three to complete a remarkable comeback.

Sharma further said that the presence of batting stalwarts Steve Smith and David Warner make Australia a well-balanced side. Both the players had missed the last tour due to the suspension imposed on them for the ball-tampering scandal.

Raj Kumar Sharma lashes out at Pakistan

Raj Kumar Sharma also took a shot at Pakistan after the latter’s propaganda against India. PCB chief Ehsan Mani and former cricketer Javed Miandad called India an unsafe place to tour while their foreign minister accused India of telling Bangladesh not to travel to Pakistan.

“Pakistan has an old habit of accusing India. We have no intention to tell any nation whether to play or don’t play in Pakistan. They are desperate. Pakistan should learn from the BCCI how to manage cricket in the country. I don’t think Indian administrators have time to give attention to the Pakistan Foreign Minister’s statement,” he added.

Watch: Dale Steyn’s cheeky run-out attempt against AB de Villiers