India vs Australia: 'He can certainly push us back', Marcus Stoinis warns Aussies on Virat Kohli threat

Former India captain Virat Kohli has been in great form in white-ball cricket and has registered a string of centuries in the past few months. However, it has been almost three years since the batter recorded a hundred-plus score in the longest format. His previous Test century came during a 2019 series against Bangladesh.

Thus, it is highly anticipated that Kohli will target the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy to revive his reputation in red-ball cricket. In this context, Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis showered praise on Kohli and referred to his dominance in international cricket for a long period.

Ahead of the Nagpur Test, Stoinis called out the Australian unit and asked them to pay more attention to Kohli, while discussing the Border Gavaskar Trophy on the Backstage with Boria show. He termed the India batter “one of the best ever” and issued a stern warning saying that Kohli will attempt to use the series as “a platform” to announce his comeback in the red-ball format. For a reason, Stoinis explained, “The best players always choose the best series.”

Furthermore, the Australian cricketer highlighted the fact that Kohli eliminated his three-year-long century drought in a marquee event - the Asia Cup 2022 - with a commendable hundred against Afghanistan. There was no turning back since then as he continued the momentum in the T20 World Cup too.

Taking the approach into his account, Stoinis noted, “His abilities were on display during the T20 World Cup. It shows just how hungry he is.”

In the end, Stoinis made it clear that Australia will come ready in the defence of Kohli while he also acknowledged, “Kohli is certainly one who can push us back. We will have to get the better of him to be able to win this series.”

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However, Kohli looked pale in the 2017 Australia series which was India’s last face-off against the powerhouse side in their own backyard. The right-handed batter batted in five innings and managed to score just 46 runs in total. But his overall record is nothing but astonishing. The 34-year-old has played 20 Tests so far against the Aussies and recorded as many as 1682 runs including seven centuries and five half-centuries.

India and Australia will cross swords for the first match of the four-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy, beginning on 9 February at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium in Nagpur.

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