Mitchell Swepson says he won't get intimidated by the aura of Virat Kohli

Leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson who has been drafted into the Australian squad for the 4 match Test series against India starting later in the month has said that the aura of Indian captain Virat Kohli won’t intimidate him if he gets an opportunity to make his debut in the Test series. He also made it clear that he will be aggressive against the modern master.

The Indian captain has been in sublime form in the ongoing season, accumulating runs at will against each and every opposition. He also became the only player in the history of the game to smash 4 double centuries in 4 consecutive Test series. It will be a daunting task for Swepson and other Australian bowlers to counter the modern sensation.

“Especially as a leg-spinner you’ve got to look to be aggressive and take wickets. It doesn’t matter who you come up against. You’re a leg-spinner and you’re going to get hit for runs. So at the time you’ve got to be the wicket-taker and you’ve got to get the breakthrough the team needs,” Swepson was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

“It’s a good point Sammy (Samuel Badree) has made, you can’t take a step back and let them dictate the game. You’ve got to be on the front foot and be aggressive and try and get the wickets before they get you and before they get settled. It’s a good mentality to take over there,” he added.

Also read: It is unpredictable turn in India, can really spin quite aggressively: Peter Handscomb

“It’s hard not to respect what he’s done, especially on home soil over there and it’s hard not to think ‘this is Virat Kohli, he’s probably the best player in the world at the moment. But at the other end of the spectrum you can almost think of it like, ‘it’s just another player and I’m just bowling another ball to another player and any ball can get any batsman out on the day’. It’s about blocking out the negatives and seeing that you can potentially get a breakthrough for your team. That’s all that matters.”

Traditionally the Australian spinners have failed to make a mark in Indian conditions but the 23 year Swepson is optimistic that the trend might change in the upcoming series.

“We’ve taken four spinners over and I think in some ways the Australian camp (is looking at it like) we’re going to take a lot of wickets with spin, so there’s a bit of pressure in that sense. The spinners (need to) take the majority of wickets. It’s going to be a massive challenge and I think any cricketer wants to challenge themselves, and that’s certainly my theory. I can’t wait to get that opportunity,” Swepson signed off.