Bengaluru: Former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has warned his country’s crowds not to upset the “best player in the world” Virat Kohli during India's tour Down Under in November.

India will play three T20Is, four Tests and three ODIs in Australia between November this year and January 2019. Australian crowds are known to be hostile towards opposition players and Kohli too had experienced it during the 2012 tour where he hit back, showing his middle finger at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He was fined 50% of his match fee for this obscene gesture.

Gilchrist agreed that his nation’s fans target opposition players but felt Kohli wouldn't engage with them much this time around as he had “matured a great deal”.

The 46-year-old Gilchrist, who played 96 Tests, 287 ODIs and 13 T20Is, visited a Puma store in Bengaluru on Sunday, and in an exclusive interview with MyNation, shared his views on the upcoming India-Australia Test series, Kohli’s rise in world cricket, Indian pace attack, ball-tampering bans on Steve Smith and David Warner and more.

Excerpts

MyNation: India are set to tour Australia for a four-Test series and also limited-overs matches. And India have not won a Test series in Australia. Do you think they have the best chance this time around, considering their very good pace attack?

Adam Gilchrist: It is a terrific pace attack and it is going to be intriguing to see how they perform. It is very exciting. We have a very exciting group too. So it could be a real battle for both teams' batsmen. I think it is going to be an exciting series. India have the potential to really threaten (Australia). But it will be interesting to see their mindset on the back of their frustrations in England and how they bounce back. I think they will enjoy it out there. It is going to be a terrific series.

MN: The relationship between Australian crowds and Virat Kohli has not been good. It was evident in the previous tours. This time around, Kohli is the captain and team’s key batsman. Do you think the crowds will target him again?

Gilchrist: Aussie crowds always try to get under the skin of opposition players. Look, I think Virat has matured a great deal since the last tour. I think he will remain passionate and I am sure there will be moments where there will be strong engagement with the crowds. That is fine. My observation is that he has matured a great deal and knows his responsibilities as the leader of the team. He looks like a guy that likes a challenge when the chips are down. So, perhaps we wouldn't want to upset him, because he is currently the best player in the world. He is playing like that. From an Australian point of view, we don't want him to score as heavily as he has done in England. I am really looking forward to seeing him down there in Australia and the way he is going to lead the team.

MN: Do you want to predict the India-Australia Test series scoreline?

Gilchrist: I will leave that to Glenn McGrath, mate.

MN: Are you surprised with the way Kohli has batted in England and in the past couple of years, breaking one record after another?

Gilchrist: I am not at all surprised at Kohli's performance. He is an absolute champion. I think the last England tour was the only time he was questioned of his abilities in a foreign land. He has put that out of the equation now. He has been really impressive even as India lost the series. It's been a losing series for India but it has also shown how impressive Kohli has been. To produce such high quality batting in difficult scenarios in all five games isn't easy.

MN: Steve Smith and David Warner won’t be part of the India-Australia series as they are serving bans for ball-tampering. How will that impact the Australian team?

Gilchrist: It would be huge. Smith and Warner have provided the bulk of the runs in the Australian batting line-up for a number of years now. Without them, someone needs to step up and fill that void. So, it’s an opportunity for the rest of the batting line-up. Clearly, they are big shoes to fill. That will have a big impact on the series. We do still have a world-class bowling line-up. With the three-four quicks and Nathan Lyon, it’s a challenging bowling line-up. The big challenge for Australia will be to get enough runs for the bowling line-up to defend.

MN: Do you think the one-year bans on Smith and Warner were harsh?

Gilchrist: In hindsight, and certainly after the time that has passed, the general feeling is that the punishment was a bit too harsh. But at the time, everyone was really upset by it and everyone wanted stern action to be taken. But what I am really impressed by is how fantastically the players have accepted it. They have shown the cricketing world that they know they did the wrong thing and they have copped a harsh ban, but they just have to move on with it and return as better people and players.