“Nice and friendly”: Steve Waugh's unconventional advice to stop Virat Kohli

Legendary former Australian captain Steve Waugh has revealed his unorthodox strategy to limit the impact of Virat Kohli in the Border-Gavaskar series.

Kohli has been under pressure coming into the series, having struggled to score runs recently, including in India’s 0-3 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand.

As the series between Australia and India kicks off on Friday in Perth, Waugh, one of Australia’s most successful captains, told SENQ Breakfast how he would keep Kohli out of the contest.

“I think what Australia should do is be nice and friendly to him, as friendly as they possibly can be,” Waugh said.

“I watched him against New Zealand and I was shocked by how friendly he was with his own team, with the opposition, laughing and joking and relaxing. He didn’t seem to be himself.

“If I was Australia, I’d be really nice to him and telling him how great he looks and how much I’m looking forward to playing against him.”

Waugh, one of Australia’s most decorated batsmen, believes Kohli needs to be aggressive to have a presence throughout the series.

“I think he's a player who needs to play on the edge, be aggressive, get in a bit of a battle, and almost get in a fight to play his best,” Waugh detailed.

“He’s a bit like Steve Smith. Everytime you write these guys off, that’s what they want and they come out firing.

“I think if you go hard at him, you might prod the hornets nest and he might come out firing. He's a world class player and he'll be looking forward to the challenge of coming out here.” The first test kicks off in Perth, a city where Kohli has enjoyed success previously, averaging 64.75 from four innings.

Catch every ball of the battle for the Border-Gavaskar trophy live on SEN.