Sydney, Feb 3: Former Test star Michael Hussey has warned the India-bound Australian cricket team for a four-Test tour not to antagonise Virat Kohli, saying sledging the Indian captain may boomerang on the visitors.
Full schedule of India-Australia Test series
Calling Kohli "a real competitor", the 41-year-old Hussey, who played 79 Tests before retiring in 2013, said engaging in a verbal spat with the Indian skipper will only fire him up which will benefit the hosts in the matches.
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Hussey has instead asked Steve Smith's men to back their skills and focus on the game rather than engaging in on-field antics during the tough tour of the subcontinent.
"You don't want to get carried away with too much talk and lose your concentration of what's important, which is executing your skills.
"The team that wins will be the one that can execute their skills at the highest quality and for the longest period of time. It's not going to be the team that's the most verbal or the most aggressive," said Hussey, who averaged more on Asian soil than any other Australia batsman to have played five Tests or more in those conditions.
The first of the four-match Test rubber will be played from February 23 in Pune.
IANS