India vs Australia: Virat Kohli doesn’t need to tone down his aggression, reckons Zaheer Khan

Former India seamer Zaheer Khan said that Virat Kohli should remain the way he is and believes that the India captain doesn’t need to tone down his aggression. While on one hand, Kohli has faced widespread criticism from various corners for his on-field antics, Khan reiterated that Kohli can’t play his best cricket without aggression. “I would say (Virat) stick to what you know best. Stick to what has got you so much of success. You can’t move away from your success formula. It doesn’t matter what others are saying (about Kohli). Series in Australia have always been (intense) like this,” PTI quoted Khan as saying. Ex-India pacer Praveen Kumar concurred and added, “Kohli played with aggression at the U-16, U-19, and Ranji Trophy level. What is the issue if he is showing the same aggression while playing for India? I have played a lot of cricket with him and I can safely say that he can’t play his best cricket without aggression.” Complementing the current India seam attack, he said, “They have been spot on with the execution of their plans. Bumrah has been providing that X factor, Shami has been in great form, Ishant has used his experience very well, someone like Bhuvneshwar is waiting for his turn and Umesh has got heaps of potential. “Even though Umesh has had a tough game in Perth, he has the ability to take two-three quick wickets like Bumrah and Shami,” he added. Deeming the current Indian seam attack as the best ever, he said, “I think as a unit, yes (they are the best ever) when you look at the four-five fast bowlers on tour. In a long long time, you can see the potential of each and every fast bowler including the bench strength.” “The fact that you won the first Test, it was never going to be easy after that. The Australian team was actually on the backfoot after Adelaide but now the series is levelled. But before India departed for Australia, they were billed as favourites. They still are,” Khan concluded.