Kim Hughes to Australia: Stop acting like pussycats, get in Virat Kohli’s face

Former Australian captain Kim Hughes has asked his countrymen to not act like “pussycats” and instead try and get under the skin of Indian captain Virat Kohli when the two sides clash in the long tour starting with the T20I series on Wednesday.

There has been a reduction on the sledging part in the Australian side after that infamous incident of ball-tampering in South Africa earlier this year. An independent study following that claimed that it was the “win-at-all-costs” that actually led to that episode of ball tampering.

Hughes nonetheless feels that there isn’t anything wrong with engaging in verbal barrage with Kohli.

Also read: Australia possess a lot of quality despite the absence Steve Smith and David Warner: Virat Kohli

“You are not going to become pussycats. That’s not racially vilifying him (Kohli) at all or anything like that but just a good stare, or a couple of words, that’s part of the Australian way. Most blokes’ nicknames are usually when you have a stuff-up, not when you have a had a glorious moment,” said Hughes, as quoted by Sydney Morning Herald.

“f he (Kohli) is not the best player in the world, he is in the final two or three … I think he is the best player in the world. When you have 1.2 billion people in the world supporting you and expecting you to do well, there is a fair bit of pressure. He is the type of player that you would feel as an opposition that you could get under his skin,” he added further.

Hughes further added that the Indian skipper is vulnerable when he is put under pressure.

“Some are just unflappable, it doesn’t seem to matter what happens to them, like a Clive Lloyd – nothing seemed to phase him. Where a Kohli, you just get the feeling that if things didn’t go well, and you could keep the pressure on him, he might chuck the toys out of the cart.

“I saw him get a run-out once and he was blowing kisses, this sort of stuff. Therefore, and I think the other thing, the Indian players all gain a tremendous amount of faith and belief in him. That’s why, if you can, you can really get into him, more mentally. The real challenge for him is to stay calm, don’t get too emotional,” he elaborated.