70% of google search results with the keyword India vs Australia includes Virat Kohli either directly or passively, explaining a lot about the importance the Indian captain holds on the outcome of the four-match series - A fact well known to India’s opponents as well. It did not take Australian vice-captain Josh Hazlewood to bluntly point out India’s dependence on Kohli. “They toured England and South Africa, and it was only Virat who stood out. A lot of the other haven't scored too many of the runs," Hazlewood said ahead of the first Test at Adelaide starting December 6.
Not only the Australian team but former cricketers and ones in the knowhow have treated Virat Kohli’s performance as the axis of the series. The runs from Kohli’s bat or the lack it will decide which way the balance shifts. In a way, they are not wrong completely. Statistically, Kohli has been the principal contributor for India in their last two away series in South Africa and England, scoring more than 30% of India’s runs (286 in South Africa and 593 in England). The double-edged sword on one tip speaks volumes about Kohli’s current form but on the other, reveals the ineffectiveness of the other Indian other batsmen, putting them under immense pressure before Australia series.
India’s No.3 and one of the mains expected to release the burden on Kohli’s shoulders, Cheteshwar Pujara though insisted there is no extra pressure on the line-up despite losses to England and South Africa.
"It's always about batting as a unit. When you go out there you want to perform to best of your ability rather than thinking whether there is extra pressure or not," he said.
"We have some goals as a batting unit...I don't think there is any pressure on the batting unit. Most of our batters are experienced enough. So we trust our preparation and ability."
On the individual goals for the series, Pujara said the experience of playing the last series against Australia in 2016-17 will help his batting.
"When you have faced some bowlers in the past, you know what are their strengths and weaknesses. So it will help me in this series," he said.
"But it will be a fresh start and I don't want to focus too much on what I have done in the past. I am confident but at the same time I would also like to respect the opposition."
Pujara said that India's current pace attack is among the best to come out of the country and the rich bench strength was probably due to the Indian Premier League.
"Even when it comes to bench strength, if a couple of our fast bowlers are injured, they will have some back up. When it comes to fast bowling this is probably one of the best attacks we have in many years.
"It could be the IPL which has helped produce good fast bowlers and is benefitting the Indian test team at the moment."
Pujara said the team was motivated as ever to win an overseas Test series, particularly for the first time on Australian soil.
"We have been playing good cricket outside India now and this is a very good opportunity for the team to perform well," he said.
"Being the number one Test team, we always look to win each and every series, and this is no different. We would like to perform well and start off well. We definitely want to win this series but will take one Test at a time."
There have been many instances of on-field heated exchanges between players of the two teams in the past series. But after the ball-tampering bans on Steve Smith and David Warner, many former cricketers have spoken about bringing a change in Australia's team culture.
Pujara said the visitors are not bothered about sledging.
"I cannot comment on what Australia will do. As for sledging, I cannot say what happens when we start off playing the first Test.
"But one thing we are sure about is playing competitive cricket. When the Test starts, if it happens, it happens; we are not very focussed on it. We are focussed on playing good cricket and winning the series."
In the practice game in Sydney last week, Cricket Australia XI scored 544 runs against India's bowling attack but Pujara said it was not a matter of concern.
"Conceding 500 runs in a warm-up game doesn't mean anything. It wasn't a Test match so we are not worried about it. Our bowlers know what they have to do," he said.
"They know what line and lengths to bowl in Australia, and most of them have played here in 2014-15. As a bowling unit we are very confident and the bowlers will stick to their basics."
India did not train on Monday, with the exception of Ashwin and Rohit Sharma who showed up to practice.
"The trainer and physio have been monitoring the workload so depending on that we thought it is best to take a break and train for the next two days and be fresh for the Test match."