India are scheduled to play four-match Test series against Australia with the first game starting from December 3 at Gabba, Brisbane. While fans are eagerly waiting for the competition Down Under, Aussie batsman Matthew Wade said that he would not be indulging in any verbal confrontation with India captain Virat Kohli.
Wade, who has used sharp words to get into the skin of his opponents in the recent times, said not just the skipper, but he won’t indulge with any member of the Indian team as well as it might spur them on.
Recently, batting legend Rahul Dravid gave his take on Wade’s remarks that he would not sledge Kohli during the forthcoming Test series. Dravid fired a warning at the Aussies and advised them not to sledge the Indian talisman, who according to him, loves the fight and is already a very aggressive batsman.
“He sort of lives for it, he loves the fight, he loves the contest. He’s pretty competitive and aggressive as it is. You don’t want to get him more aggressive, I don’t know how more he can get,” Dravid told sports presenter Gaurav Kapur on Sony Ten Pit stop.
Dravid believes it will be in Australia’s best interest if they refrain from sledging Kohli, he explained that verbal banter does not affect players a lot. The 47-year-old further stated that players will have to be on top of their game against each other to win matches for their respective sides.
“In the end, a lot of this stuff does not really affect players. In the end, it’s a contest. They know they have to be at the top of their games. The skills have to be top class. They want to compete against someone like Virat. Virat also knows he has to be at top of the game if he wants to perform against the likes of Cummins, Starc, Pattinson, Hazlewood – that’s a pretty good attack. He knows that as well,” explained Dravid.
“So, it’s not about words, it’s about the skills. It’s a skills game. The players will be looking to rely on his skills, and who can perform consistently over a long period of time in a Test match, and the team who does that will triumph.
“I think Wade is trying to say that they are going to focus on that skill – and if they get that right, then they can cause him a problem. If they get it slightly wrong, then we know what Virat could do,” the former Indian captain added.
