'Sledging is not going to worry Virat Kohli' - Steve Waugh warns Australia ahead of India's tour Down Under

Former Australia captain Steve Waugh has said on-field sledging by Australia during the upcoming Test series  against India won’t bother Virat Kohli. The legendary cricketer also warned the hosts that their on-field tactics might inspire the India captain. India will tour Down Under for a full-fledged tour which will start later this month.

Virat Kohli & Co. will depart for Australia after the completion of the ongoing IPL in the UAE. The 13th edition of the tournament is scheduled to conclude on November 10 while Team India is scheduled to leave the gulf country on November 12. There are only three more games left to be played in IPL 2020.

“Sledging is not going to worry Virat Kohli, it doesn’t work against the great players and you’re better off leaving those guys alone. I think any extra motivation will make them dig in more and get more runs. So you’re better off not saying much to him,” Waugh told SNTV in an interview on Thursday.

India eye retaining Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Team India will be looking to retain the coveted Border-Gavaskar series when they take on Australia in the four-Test series. The much-anticipated Test series will start with a day-night match in Adelaide on December 17 before Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane host the other three games. Prior to the Tests, both the teams will also play three ODIs  beginning November 27 and three Twenty20 matches.

India has retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2017. They had registered a historic series win in Australia in 2018-19 series to keep the trophy with themselves. The Virat Kohli-led side will be looking to put up a similar performance in the upcoming series too. India have already announced their squads for the challenging tour.

The series in Australia will mark the resumption of international cricket for India. The Men in Blue have not played a single game since the tour of New Zealand ended in early March. India were engaged in an ODI series with South Africa at home before the coronavirus pandemic halted the game worldwide.

Team India’s Test squad for Australia tour:

Virat Kohli (Captain), Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicket-keeper), Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, R. Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj