Aussie Praising Indian Before India's Tour Down Under? 'Australian' In Virat Kohli Forces Steve Smith To Take Notice

Steve Smith talks about how Virat Kohli has an 'Australian' mindset ahead of the AUS vs IND Tests and how Kohli's approach of taking a challenge head on makes him the most 'Australian' Indian batter.

Steve Smith praises Virat Kohli's 'Australian' mindset ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Source : PTI

Steve Smith, described by many as one of the best ever Test batters the sport of cricket has ever seen, recently expressed that he sees his contemporary, India’s of the best ever, Virat Kohli as someone who possesses an 'Australian' mindset. Smith said that Kohli’s thoughts and actions echo the Aussie mindset due to the way the Indian batter owns up the difficult situations on the cricket field. Interestingly, Smith’s comments come ahead of the five-Test Border-Gavaskar trophy that India and Australia will play later this year.

History has witnessed that days that precede an India vs Australia series are always filled with drama. Cricket experts and even the former cricketers of both the countries are always quick to give their predictions for the contests. The same is the case this time around, and the fact that the Aussies are under pressure because they haven’t won the Border Gavaskar Trophy at home from the last two times, only adds to this drama. As some predict Australia as early favourites for the upcoming trophy, the Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar recently shared insights on the mental strategies leading up to the series.

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Gavaskar wrote in a column that India's five home Tests (against Bangladesh and New Zealand) before their tour of Australia will be crucial for mental preparation. He noted that mind games have already started, with Australian players, past and present, sharing their predictions about the outcome.

Gavaskar noted the lack of counter-strategies from Indian players against Australia's mind games, and said that while Australia isn’t making bold predictions, they still expect to win. He suggested that Ravichandran Ashwin could build psychological pressure by discussing a new delivery for Steve Smith, assuming if Smith can survive Jasprit Bumrah first.

“Maybe Ravichandran Ashwin should start telling us about a special delivery that he is developing for Steve Smith, that is, of course, if he continues to open the batting and can survive Jasprit Bumrah,” wrote Gavaskar in his column for Sunday Mid-day.

Kohli and Smith have been rivals for over a decade on field, but have also shared a friendly bond, at least since the 2019 ODI World Cup, where Kohli asked the Indian spectators to stop booing Smith during the India vs Australia match. But Smith’s praise for Kohli coming right before the IND vs AUS series does say something about the stature of India’s great and how the tables may have turned, speaking about the ‘mind games’ Gavaskar talked about in his column.

'I believe Virat Kohli is Australian in thoughts and action.': Steve Smith

In a video posted by Star Sports on their official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Smith talks about how Kohli carries an aggressive mindset, similar to that of the Australians. He says that Kohli is the most Australian player of all the Indian players.

“I believe Virat Kohli is Australian in thoughts and action. The way he gets into a battle, the way he gets into the challenge and tries to get on top of the opposition. He's probably the most Australian of the Indian players, I'd say," Smith said in the video.

Watch the video here: 

.@stevesmith49 describes @imVkohli in his own way, talks about his approach on the field and looks forward to face him in the #BorderGavaskarTrophy! 🏆

Catch them in action in #BGTonStar, FRI 22 NOV onwards! 🏏 pic.twitter.com/29ruvJSUpk

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) September 10, 2024

Steve Smith Talks About His Friendly Bond With Virat Kohli

"There's no real, you know, I need to beat him or anything like that. It's just about going out and playing and trying to score as many runs as I can and helping Australia have success and that's what it's all about," he added.

Smith also revealed that he and Kohli get along well and often share messages with each other. He also expresses his excitement about facing Kohli as India travel to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 later in the year.

"We get on quite well, share messages every now and then and look, he's a great guy and obviously a wonderful player. It's going to be nice to come up against him again this summer," said Smith.