Perth: Watching Virat Kohli closely in the nets is an experience. Watch closely enough and you won’t think a thing is out of place. His intensity is top notch. The focus is admirable. He has a plan. He looks the part. It convinces you that his lean run — which is now five years long — cannot last. And perhaps his favourite opponent will be the key to getting the master batter back in sync.

He draws eyeballs everywhere he moves while on the training field at the Optus Stadium here but much of that attention is a direct result of what he means to an Indian team that has been severely hit by absence and injury. As if the missing Rohit Sharma was a big enough blow, the injury to Shubman Gill has cast an even greater shadow on the team.

It is in times like these that the team will want Kohli to step up. It’s tempting too — the story of a genius finding his best again. Now, who wouldn’t want to watch that?

But it wasn’t until the end of India’s net session that one realised how quickly times are changing. Kohli, after finishing multiple sessions of throwdowns and batting in tandem with different partners, was standing and chatting with Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna. Dhruv Jurel joined in a little later and that’s when the complete lack of experience in the Indian line-up hit home. Among his peers, Kohli alone is standing.

Jaiswal has played 14 Tests, Padikkal (who has now been added to the squad) has played one, Jurel has played three and Prasidh has played two. Kohli, for context, has played 118. So, even though everyone in Australia is hellbent on making this a Kohli versus Australia match-up, the 36-year-old knows that it is anything but that.

“Virat, like we know, the intensity and the professionalism he trains with is always top level,” said India bowling coach Morne Morkel on Wednesday. “Again, as a batting unit, there’s been a lot of conversation on how they’re going to go about finding a blueprint to put runs on the board. We know in Test cricket, especially over here, if you’ve got a total on the board, you can create pressure with the ball and we’ve got a bowling attack that we believe can bowl Australia out and take 20 wickets.”

India could use a great series from Kohli and there is no escaping that but even the master batter knows that he alone won’t be enough. KL Rahul can produce the odd innings of class but his career has been plagued by inconsistency. So, after he got done with his sessions, Kohli had a chat with the youngsters. Nothing major but even helping them relax is a big thing at this point.

“From Virat’s point of view, sharing things that worked for him in the past. With that is the intensity he trains with. Always putting himself under pressure in the nets,” said Morkel. “For younger guys to see him train in that fashion, if it’s with new balls, guys coming a little bit closer, throwing at high speed to them. Those are the small things the younger guys or the less experienced guys will pick on. It will take their game to another level.”

Each batter has his own way of tackling bounce but watching Kohli in the nets can often give pointers that can push the others in the right direction.

The runs Kohli has scored in Australia — he averages better Down Under than against any other opponent in away matches — are a vital indicator of why India hope that his class shines through. It must.

At 36, Kohli too must learn from his past successes. In 13 Tests, he has scored 1352 runs at an average of 54.08 in Australia and the manner in which he scored these runs has clues for himself and everyone else.

The Indian team has a blueprint in mind. In meetings, they talk about Key Performance Indicators — partnerships are going to be crucial, protecting the partnership, getting through the new ball, and once the ball is softer not to give it away.

Australia have plans of their own and they tell us that the focus is not solely on Kohli.

“No, everyone’s in focus. The top seven for us as bowlers, I know we talk about all the players pretty equally these days,” said Josh Hazlewood. “We’ve played a lot against India, particularly the senior players like Virat. He’s done well here in the past, so we’ve learned from that and will have some plans but it doesn’t often stray away from top of off.”

And perhaps that is what it will come to in the end — not the fancy stuff or the big plans but the simple things, the basics that still need reinforcing. After all, that is where it all always begins.

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