"He is a competitor, and Australia will not relax until Virat Kohli is out" - Justin Langer on IND vs AUS 2023 World Cup tie
Justin Langer reckons that Team India's senior batter Virat Kohli will be a major threat for Pat Cummins and Co. during the 2023 World Cup clash between the two sides at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
The former Australia head coach opined that leg-spinner Adam Zampa could be skipper Cummins' best bet against Kohli. Langer made these remarks in a video shared by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on YouTube.
He said (10:40):
"He is a competitor, and Australia will not relax until Virat Kohli is out. (11:12) Adam Zampa has had some success against Virat Kohli. We talk about Mitchell Starc taking wickets early or at the death, (but) Adam Zampa is going to be a really important matchup against Virat."
It is worth mentioning that Zampa has troubled Kohli in the past. The crafty spinner has dismissed the veteran batter five times in 12 ODIs. The former India captain has scored 230 runs in 209 deliveries against Zampa in the 50-over format.
"You take any format; he has always done well against Australia in World Cup games" - MSK Prasad on Virat Kohli
During the same discussion, former India selector MSK Prasad backed Kohli to shine with the bat during the Men in Blue's opening clash of the 2023 World Cup against Australia.
He suggested that, apart from legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli is the only Indian batter who has made a significant impact against Australia in World Cups. Prasad added (10:46):
"If you see all the major ICC events, one guy who has consistently done well against Australia, apart from Sachin Tendulkar, is Virat Kohli. He has been phenomenal. You take any format; he has always done well against Australia in World Cup games."
Kohli has played three matches against Australia in ODI World Cups and has 107 runs to his name at an average of 35.66. The right-handed batter scored 82 runs when the two cricketing giants squared off during the 2019 World Cup at the Oval.