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“I’m pretty confident of the ability the guys have,” he told reporters on Sunday in Adelaide, where India open their tour with a two-day match against a Prime Minister’s XI starting on Monday.
“It’s up to me how I handle them, how I handle different situations. As long as the team backs me and puts in the performances we want, I think I’m going to look good at the end of the day. I don’t see any issues on why I can’t be up to the challenge.”
Kohli was very much the test rookie alongside the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and VVS Laxman on India’s last tour of Australia in 2011-12.
He ended up being one of the few bright lights for the tourists as they slumped to a humiliating 4-0 sweep, however, and scored his maiden century in the fourth test in Adelaide.
Unlike many of his team mates, Kohli has the experience of playing on the hard Australian decks and in front of the vocally hostile crowds.
In 2012, he was fined half of his match fee in the second test in Sydney for responding to barracking from the crowd by gesturing at them with his middle finger.
After his Adelaide century he said his innings was a fitting riposte to ‘drunken’ Australian fans who had heckled him from the stands throughout the series.
“I’m certainly expecting it again,” Kohli said. “I loved it. Once you perform in those conditions, the people love you here and they love a good fight. We’re here to play aggressive cricket, play the brand of cricket that Australia plays.”
After the Brisbane test, India play matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney before beginning preparations for their defence of the 50-over world title.
