'Watching the ball fly off the pitch in Australia as a kid made me want to prove myself': Virat Kohli on how his childhood inspired his love for Test cricket

Batting great Virat Kohli said that he used to wake up early during his childhood days to watch the Test matches in Australia. He recalls seeing the pacers get extra bounce and the intense battle with the opposition.

Kohli's first outing in Australia came in 2011, where he faced a hostile reception from the Australian crowd, but he reckoned that the aggression gradually transformed into respect.

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Virat Kohli's childhood dream

Kohli, who played his last Test in Australia, revealed that seeing the cricketing greats of the game perform in such challenging conditions made him want to be part of it. He imagined himself out there, facing the pressure and rising to the occasion.

"Growing up, watching cricket as a kid when we used wake up early and watch Test cricket in Australia, you can see the ball flying of the pitch and the opposition in your face, and I used to feel, Wow, if I will able to step up in these conditions and against this opposition that's something I could be proud of as a cricketer. That's the motivation for me watching all the greats of our game from either side. Guys like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, even Virender Sehwag, guys, whom I really looked up to," Kohli told Fox Cricket ahead of the first ODI here on Sunday.

"Even the Australian set up, how they played their cricket and how they were in your face all the time, intimidating and taking the game on, that was something that really inspired me to come here and do the same. Early on I found it was easier to watch on television than be part of that hostile environment but I am really grateful to all those times because that shaped me as a cricketer and as a person as well.

"That really tests your mental strength and resilience because once you start copping it from the crowd you can't escape, you got to come back everyday," added Kohli, who got out for a naught in his return to India colours after seven months.

Virat Kohli goes for a duck in the first ODI

Notably, Kohli is currently in Australia for the three-match ODI series, where he failed to score runs in the first clash at the Optus Stadium in Perth. The modern-day great got out on a duck before rain played spoilsport.

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India vs Australia 1st ODI score after 11.5 overs

India batting greats Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli failed to fire runs from the bat as the Shubman Gill-led side were reduced to 25 for three before rain lashed Perth to interrupt the first ODI against Australia. Kohli got out for an eight-ball duck to Mitchell Starc while Rohit was ousted by Josh Hazlewood for eight.

Later, skipper Shubman Gill was caught down the leg side off pacer Nathan Ellis for 10. Shreyas Iyer (2) and Axar Patel (0) were at the crease when the skies opened up.