India vs Australia: Aussies will have plans in place for Virat Kohli, says Justin Langer

The four-match series opener at Adelaide Oval will be the only time India captain Kohli will play Test cricket Down Under this summer as he will return home after the game to attend the birth of his first child.

Langer, however, is determined to stop Kohli from setting the tone for the series.

“He is a great player and an equally great leader. I have got so much respect for him but we are going to be really well planned for him because we know how important he is for India as a leader and as a batsman. So, we will have our plans in place.

“The next trick is to execute them, hopefully, keep him out of the game with his runs. At the end of the day, that’s where he is going to have the biggest impact. We’ve seen a lot of him now, and he has seen a lot of us too,” Langer said during a virtual media interaction.

India vs Australia: We’ve got enough batting to make a big difference in this series, says Langer

Langer also made it clear that his team will focus more on the skill part and look for ways to get Kohli out instead of needlessly engaging with him.

“What we talk about is how to get Virat out. He is such a great player, we don’t talk about whether we taunt him or not. That’s rubbish… We play on the skill, not on emotions, at least we try to.”

“There is obviously emotion in the game, no doubt about that, we are going to control our emotions.”

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be broadcast live on Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 3 and Sony Six channels.