'The king is back': Ravi Shastri's fiery warning to Australia following Ricky Ponting's criticism of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli will undoubtedly be the focal point of attention as India prepares to face Australia in the upcoming five-match Test series commencing on November 22. Kohli's exceptional performance on Australian soil has solidified his position as a key player in the highly anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy this time around.

India finds themselves perilously close to the edge of elimination from the World Test Championship. The team led by Rohit Sharma must secure a resounding 4-0 victory in order to secure a spot in the WTC final for the third consecutive time.

Despite facing criticism for his recent form and failing to score a Test century this year, the 36-year-old Kohli has struggled, particularly in the recent Test series against New Zealand where India suffered a 3-0 defeat.

Kohli has an impressive record of accumulating 1352 runs in 13 Tests against Australia in the BGT, and he is determined to surpass Sachin Tendulkar's record of 1809 runs, the highest by an Indian player.

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has issued a warning to Australia, expressing his confidence in Kohli's ability to deliver a stellar performance. During an interview with Sanjana Ganesan on the ICC review, Shastri stated, "Well, the King is back in his territory. That's all I will say to them."

“When you've earned that title after your exploits in Australia, it will be on your (opponent's) mind when you go out to bat.”

He also highlighted specific aspects that could assist Virat in improving his skills against Australia.

“Your juices are flowing, you're charged up. It's again a case with Virat. You want to see calmness because at times you are overeager to get out there and throw the first punch.

“But I think that calmness in the first half an hour where he gets out to bat or in the first three innings of the series will be extremely important. If he can be calm and play the game at his own pace rather than being in a hurry, I think he'll be fine.”

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