Marcus Stoinis Aware Of Virat Kohli Threat But Reckons A Shortened Tour Won't Increase It

Australian limited-overs all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has played quite a lot against Virat Kohli in the last few years. Marcus Stoinis, who also played alongside Virat Kohli in the Royal Challengers Bangalore, remains aware of the threat posed by the Indian captain. However, he does not expect it to increase significantly on a condensed tour. Both the players will be back in the national colours when India and Australia lock horns in the first of the three ODIs in Sydney on the 27th of November.

Virat Kohli, who is arguably the best ODI batsman currently and holds the number one ranking, will fly home early to attend the birth of his first child. The 32-year old will play the three-match ODI and T20 series and the first of the four Tests before departing. The news might have boosted the hosts’ chances of regaining the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which India retained in 2018-19 by recording their first series victory in Australia.

Marcus Stoinis underlined that Virat Kohli remains pumped for every single match he plays; however, one cannot get the motivation more than to an extent. The Western Australian went on to say that they have plans against him, some of which have worked in the past and some not. Stoinis hopes that their strategies do them good against the Indian captain this summer.

“Don’t worry about Virat; he’s up for every single game that he’s playing. I don’t think you can get any extra motivation than 110 per cent; he’ll be ready to go. We’ve got our strategies (against him), had things that have worked in the past, but other times the plans haven’t worked and he’s made some runs; hopefully, things land on our side of the court,” Stoinis said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

I’m a massive fan of his: Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis enjoyed a breakthrough IPL 2020 season where he flourished under Delhi Capitals’ head coach Ricky Ponting, scoring 352 runs with a strike rate of 148 and picking up 13 wickets. Stoinis thanked Ricky Ponting for mentoring him, conceding that the fellow countryman’s help was crucial. The 31-year old added that Ponting is quite generous with the practice drills and how he motivates is as good as a coach any player could get. The all-rounder will get plenty of confidence walking into the white-ball matches following his IPL performances.

“I’m a massive fan of his; he’s mentored me, he’s a good man, means a lot to me and his help was vital. He’s so generous with his time; throwing balls from the start of session until the end, then probably has a few anti-inflammatories and goes to bed for the rest of the day. The confidence he instils, the way he teaches you, he’s as good as you’ll get,” he added further.

Also Read: Respect That: VVS Laxman On Virat Kohli’s Decision To Return Home For The Birth Of His 1st Child