Indian captain Virat Kohli has urged his team to "show more character" but has denied he needs an on-field spat to pump himself up when he faces Australia this summer.
Speaking in Mumbai before leaving for Australia, Kohli said his men were determined to become the first Indian side to claim a Test series win on local shores.
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli speaks to the media before the team's departure.Credit:AP
Their campaign opens with three Twenty20 internationals next week, before the first of four Tests begins in Adelaide on December 6.
The tourists are ranked No. 1 in Tests despite being beaten 2-1 by South Africa and 4-1 in England this year.
Advertisement
"We understand within the group what we need to work on. It's up to the individuals to take ownership of that responsibility and the things that are explained, that are laid out as expectations from team culture point of view," Kohli said.
"That can only be achieved when individuals go and work on those things.
"There were a lot of things we sat down and discussed after England, [about] what went wrong. To be honest, we all felt there was not much that went wrong. Whatever was not right was very extreme also. We played good cricket, but the mistakes were also very extreme, that's why we lost that many number of games rather than wining those moments and winning the games.
"Individuals need to take more responsibility, show more character in such situations and assess it, and then find a solution rather than thinking that the solution will appear from somewhere. Those are the things we are really keen on, going now in our next venture and especially in Test cricket."
Kohli and former Australian captain Steve Smith verbally clashed in India during last year's 2-1 series win by the host nation. That friction largely came from Kohli's claims that Smith had misused the DRS system in the Bengaluru Test. Smith had been warned by umpires about looking toward the viewing area for advice.
Tense moments: Steve Smith and Virat Kohli during last year's tour of India.Credit:AP
The Indian skipper is a passionate player, and reinforced that this year when he mocked England skipper Joe Root after having him run out.
While the Australian team has undergone cultural change in wake of the sandpaper scandal in South Africa, Kohli – the world's best batsman who has enjoyed another stellar year – can still expect some verbal barbs.
"When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely OK playing without an altercation," Kohli said.
"I have enough belief in my ability to play without a reason to pump myself up. Those were very immature things that I needed to feed on in early days of my career."
Jon Pierik is a sports writer with The Age, focusing primarily on AFL football, cricket and basketball. He has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.
