Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson feels new India Test skipper Virat Kohli's “in your face” attitude will spill over to his captaincy and will bring an aggressive approach to the way the Indians play cricket.
Kohli and Johnson have had frequent run-ins during the first three matches of the four-Test series, which Australia have already sealed in their favour after winning the first two Tests and the third being a draw.
“It could be quite interesting because they’re not known for that aggressive type of play. But ever since I’ve seen him play cricket, I've always seen him pretty fiery,” said Johnson.
“So he'll definitely be an aggressive type of captain I think in the way he sets fields, and I think you'll see a lot different to what M S did. He is a fierce competitor and he really does like to get involved in it all.”
Johnson said Kohli's approach hardly changes irrespective of the opponents.
“It doesn't matter who he plays against, he plays in your face and that is how he likes to play the game. Virat's just been telling us how many runs he's scored and we've just been saying we're two-nil up in the series so that's pretty much it. It's always been part of the game and always will be,” said Johnson.
Johnson, meanwhile, said he was forced to cut down on his pace due to longer stints he was asked to bowl against India but is now keen to go back to his shorter spells, similar to those he fired down at England last summer.
Except for an influential spell on the final morning of the Gabba Test, Johnson has not been up to the mark so far in the ongoing series against India, and also had to reduce his pace by around 10km/h than what England and South Africa were subjected to. Key to his high speed were the short bursts of around three overs that Michael Clarke kept Johnson fresh for.
"I've been bowling longer spells. That's been at the back of my mind where I know I'm going to be bowling four, five, six over spells that I can't be flat out every ball. It has dropped off a little bit," Johnson insisted.
“I'd like to be going back to bowling shorter spells again. Hopefully I can do that in this (Sydney) Test. At the moment I'm just doing what the team needs me to do and that's bowling those longer spells,” Johnson explained.
The pitches for the India Tests have been by and large more amenable to batsmen than they were for England, lacking the sort of pace and bounce that promotes batting collapses. Besides this, dropping of Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris' creaking body have been other reasons behind Johnson being asked to do more draining shifts at the bowling crease.
"You like a wicket to break up, that's what you expect from a five-day wicket. And it looked like a three-day wicket by the end of it," Johnson said of Melbourne's seemingly indestructible surface.
"And it happened in Adelaide as well, obviously just had the footmarks there which was helpful for Nathan lyon, but the middle of the wicket, it's a little bit disappointing. I even thought the Gabba wasn't the normal Gabba. A bit of bounce there but it just wasn't the same. Wickets have been suited for the batters more than anything I think," he said.
‘Kohli represents new-age India’
Terming Virat Kohli “new king of world cricket”, former batsman Dean Jones said the newly-appointed captain represents a new, young and vibrant India.
“Being captain of the Indian Test team is possibly the biggest, toughest and most demanding position in world sport. India are the power brokers and financiers of world cricket, and I could not even imagine the pressures and responsibilities placed on people in this most prestigious role. Now we have a new king of world cricket, Virat Kohli,” Jones wrote in a column in Sydney Morning Herald Friday.
"Without a background of change (in the 1990s), I have no doubt that a conservative BCCI would have chosen a Murali Vijay or a Ajinkya Rahane as their new captain. But Kohli is the very example of the new-age youth of India. The Indian youth are more educated and have a touch of brashness — they want, and expect, the best. Indian youth want to be seen and heard."
The Australian, who played 52 Tests between 1984-92, admitted Kohli had "big shoes to fill" after Dhoni's departure.
"It is interesting to note that Kohli and his predecessor MS Dhoni are exact opposites. Dhoni is quite reserved, while Kohli is combative. Kohli knows he has big shoes to fill. But he needs to lead his way. Dhoni captained the team like a python, which hunts for its prey," he said.
"Kohli, I feel, will try to win a game from ball one. like Michael Clarke, Kohli is prepared to lose a match while trying to win. He is an aggressive batsman and his captaincy will not be any different," Jones opined.