WTC Final: Australia heavy on India respect

Prolific batter Virat Kohli says the Indian Test team has earned formidable Australiarsquos respect after beating them twice in their own backyard and they are no longer taken lightly in the traditional formatPutting up a solid show of grit and gumption India pipped Australia in the 201819 and 202021 editions of the BorderGavaskar trophy by a similar 21 marginldquoRivalry was intense in the beginning the environment was also very tense But since we have won in Australia twice the rivalry has turned into respect and we are not taken lightly anymore as a Test teamrdquo Kohli told Star SportsVirat KohlildquoWe can feel that respect when we play against Australia that lsquothey have beaten us twice in our own backyard backtoback and it will be a battle of equalsrsquordquoTension in the airldquoThere used be tension in the air which is not the case now When you achieve a standing make your presence felt in the ground no one takes you lightlyrdquoThe familiar foes are slated to play the World Test Championship final at The Oval starting WednesdayThe talismanic Indian batter said he is always motivated to do well against Australia as they seldom give opportunities to their opponents to excelldquoI understand that mindset that all 11 players are on the same page and they will look to capitalise on even an inch So my motivation increases against this team Australia that is so aware and competitive I have to elevate my gameAlso Read WTC final Injury scare for India as skipper Rohit Sharma hit on left thumb during practiceldquoThe motivation and drive they have they wonrsquot let you comeback in the game So I had to take my game to the next levelrdquo Kohli saidThe former India skipper reckons the result of the WTC final will boil down to teams adjusting and adapting to the conditionsOval will be challengingBoth Australia and India have struggled at The Oval While Australia have won just seven of their 38 Test matches India have managed just two victories in 14 games ldquoI think The Oval will be challenging we wonrsquot get a flat wicket and batters need to be cautious We will need to concentrate on our focus and disciplinerdquo Kohli saidldquoSo you need to have the experience to play as per the conditions and we cannot go in with the expectation that The Oval pitch will play as it always hasSo we have to adjust and adapt we have only one match in a neutral venue so whoever adapts better will win the matchldquoThis is the beauty of the World Test Championship two neutral teams with no home advantage so it will be very exciting to see how both teams adapt to the situationrdquoThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever