Australian head coach Justin Langer said his boys are well aware of the threat posed by the great Virat Kohli in the D/N pink-ball encounter which opens up the much-awaited four-Test series on Thursday (December 17).
Given that Adelaide's face-off will be his only game of the series before returning home on paternity leave, the Indian captain will be determined to make his mark. But Langer said the Australians are equally well prepared.
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"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," Langer said during a virtual media interaction, as quoted by PTI.
"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," he added.
Further on Kohli, Langer cleared the focus will be on getting the better of him through skill and that they won't be engaging in any sledging war which could easily backfire against the mighty batsman.
"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," he said.
"There is obviously emotion in the game, no doubt about that, we are going to control our emotions."
The Australians are significantly more experienced when it comes to the D/N Tests than the Indians, but Langer feels that should be no cause of any complacency for the group.
"I have always said that the best players and best teams adapt regardless of the big game or the colour of the ball, so whether it is the red ball or the white ball or the pink ball, the best players and teams adapt to it," said the former Test opener.
"So, what has happened in the past, it is nice to replay. India have just come off a day-night practice game, we have done a bit of practice under lights."
"We haven't played for 12 months or so, so when it comes to the crunch, regardless of the ball, regardless of whether it is day-night or a day Test match it is game on. I don't think it (our past performance) has given us much advantage at all," he added.
Lastly, Langer played down talks of revenge with the Indians winning the Test series 2-1 on their last trip to Australia.
"The word revenge is never a great word. It is a really great rivalry for world cricket," he said, crediting the Indian Premier League (IPL) for promoting camaraderie and friendship among the players while taking anything away from the longstanding rivalry.
"I also love the way the game is played. No one can argue that it wasn't exciting cricket (during the limited-overs leg), but it was played in the right spirit through the ODIs and T20s and I hope that remains."
"We will play tough cricket but in the spirit, it's meant to be played. That's one of the benefits of the IPL, I think. The guys get to know each other. There's a good relationship... All things said, I can't wait... Bring it on, Thursday."
