India vs. Australia: Have Our Plans In Place For Kohli, Says Aussie Coach Langer

Australia head coach Justin Langer has said the hosts have "plans in place" for Indian captain Virat Kohli as both the teams are set to resume one of the sports' greatest rivalries, with the first Test starting Thursday at the Adelaide Oval.

The opening Test of the four-match series is the only fixture that will feature Kohli in the Australian summer as the skipper will return home after the pink ball game to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.

Kohli has an excellent record Down Under in the longest format. Having played 12 Tests on the Australian soil, the Indian captain has scored 1,274 runs at an average of 55.39, including six centuries and three fifties. Overall, Kohli has amassed 1,604 runs against Australia in as many as 19 Tests.

Langer, however, is intent on stopping Kohli from piling up runs in his only Test in the summer. "He is a great player and an equally great leader. I have got so much respect for him but we are going to be really well planned for him because we know how important he is for India as a leader and as a batsman. So, we will have our plans in place, " Langer was quoted by PTI, as saying during a recent virtual media interaction.

In the past, the Border-Gavaskar Test series have witnessed many on-field banters and sledging. But the Australian coach has made it clear that instead of verbally engaging with Kohli to unsettle the batsman, the focus will more be on the skill part.

"The next trick is to execute them, hopefully, keep him out of the game with his runs. At the end of the day, that's where he is going to have the biggest impact. We've seen a lot of him now, and he has seen a lot of us too. What we talk about is how to get Virat out. He is such a great player; we don't talk about whether we taunt him or not. That's rubbish... We play on the skill, not on emotions, at least we try to. There is obviously emotion in the game, no doubt about that, we are going to control our emotions," added Langer.

After the first Test in Adelaide, the two camps will shift to Melbourne for the Boxing Day fixture (Dec. 26-30). The final two Tests are scheduled to be played in Sydney (Jan. 7-11) and Brisbane (Jan. 15-19).