"He’s the new Harley Reid, in terms of back pages" - Mitchell Marsh on Virat Kohli being popular among Australian media as BGT 2024/25 looms

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has compared Virat Kohli to Football Rules player Harley Reid, given the media coverage that has happened for him ahead of the five-Test series. The seam-bowling all-rounder underlined that they harbor plenty of respect for Kohli and hope to keep him quiet throughout the series.

Since arriving in Australia, the 36-year-old has been dominating the Aussie newspapers as the media builds up for the five-Test series. Despite the right-handed batter's poor form recently, the home side remains wary of him due to his past exploits in the format on Aussie pitches.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Marsh said it's been fun to see Kohli all over some of the newspapers in Australia and reckons he has earned that respect. Hence, the West Australian stated that they are relishing the challenge. He said:

"He’s the new Harley Reid, in terms of back pages. He’s on the back page of the West Australian [newspaper] at the moment. It’s been fun to read. We know he’s one of the greatest to ever play the game, and you don’t become one of the greatest without being able to perform under pressure. So it’s always high stakes.

"We’ve got a lot of respect for Virat, and hopefully, we can keep him quiet throughout the series, but we know that there are going to be times when he may get on top of us, and you respect that. I guess you’re just looking forward to the challenge of playing against guys like that."

Kohli had played only in one Test during the previous series in Australia before heading home for paternity leave. However, India still managed to beat the hosts to take series 2-1.

"I dare say we’re still going to have a lot of Australian fans" - Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh. (Image Credits: Getty)

When asked how surreal it is to see a massive Indian fanbase in Australia, Marsh claims they have a considerable one across the globe in every sport. However, the 33-year-old expects the Aussie fans to get behind them this summer. He said:

"I think it’s fantastic. We know that the Indian cricket team is probably one of the biggest sporting teams in the world, in any sport. Anywhere they go, they have a huge amount of support. Indian cricket fans are some of the best in the world, and so the opportunity to play in front of them anywhere you go is always fantastic."

"I dare say we’re still going to have a lot of Australian fans. It’s been a huge build-up, and we know, certainly with these big series, how much our fans get around us. So to see both sets of fans going at it at the grounds, will be amazing to be a part of."

Australia are also the reigning World Test Champions (WTC).