Kohli didn’t tone down the intensity-he raised it. Against the most aggressive team, he matched fire with fire, setting the tone from ball one.
He regularly used attacking fields-three slips, gully, short leg-even during partnerships. Most captains go defensive in Australia; Kohli doubled down on pressure.
Kohli was never scared to declare early in Australia, backing his bowlers to take 10 wickets. His Adelaide 2014 declaration is still one of the boldest in modern cricket.
He invested fully in India’s pace attack-Shami, Bumrah, Ishant, Umesh-and let them unleash short-ball plans and aggressive spells. This shifted India’s identity abroad.
Whether it was Paine, Starc, or Johnson, Kohli never backed down. His confidence rubbed off on the team and created a mentally stronger dressing room.
India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia (2018–19) came under Kohli’s leadership. His refusal to play safe cricket turned belief into results.