cricket

Updated: Feb 24, 2019 10:13 IST

Virat Kohli has been a consistent performer for the Indian cricket team in the recent past and irrespective of the format, the right-hander has impressed critics and fans alike with his excellent knocks. While all teams have suffered at the hands of the India skipper, Kohli has always enjoyed a special run of form against Australia.

With India taking on the Aussies in the first T20I match in Visakhapatnam on Sunday, Kohli has the chance to add another accolade to his already illustrious career. He is just 12 runs away from completing 500 runs against Australia in T20Is and if he achieves the feat, he will become the first ever batsmen to do so.

READ: Virat Kohli has a message for India’s World Cup probables

Australia is probably the favourite opponent of Kohli in international cricket and irrespective of the format, he has always enjoyed brilliant record against Australia. Kohli has amassed 488 runs from 14 matches against Australia and his tally against Australia is also the most by any player against any team in T20Is.

Kohli has also hit five fifties against Australia in T20Is - the joint-most against an opposition by any player.

Ahead of the first match, Kohli asked India’s World Cup probables to be responsible and rest themselves if required during a challenging IPL season to ensure they are on top of their game.

READ: ‘We stand by what the nation wants to do’:Kohli on Ind-Pak World Cup clash

“As a cricketer, you have to map out how many practice sessions you really need (during the IPL). If you are hitting the ball well, there is no need to go to a practice session and tire yourself out when you can utilise that particular phase to rest and recover even more. If your team is a great position in the tournament, you wouldn’t mind taking two-three games off so it all depends on how you feel physically. Everyone has to be really honest about it to themselves and not push beyond a limit. That might hamper the Indian team later on. I think we all need to take responsibility for this,” said the India captain in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

Speaking to the media ahead of Sunday’s T20 International against Australia, Kohli cautioned his mates about not letting bad habits creep in during the IPL, adding that he isn’t going to do anything fancy going into the IPL. “All people who are going to be part of the World Cup need to make sure their games don’t go too much away from the one-day mould. They need to be very wary of bad habits that might creep in during the IPL.”