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We get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches: Kohli

Perth: The green pitches have ceased to be "alien" for the Indian team, declared captain Virat Kohli, who is hoping that Australia will not take off the grass from the pitch for the second Test, beginning Friday.

India took a 1-0 lead in the four-match series with a 31-run win in Adelaide, and will bank on the five pace bowlers to go 2-0 up in the four-match series.

"We certainly get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches. We understand that we have a bowling attack that can bowl out the opposition now.

I hope no more grass is taken off it. We as a team are pretty happy with that," said a confident Kohli at the pre-match press conference.

"We just have to challenge ourselves as a batting unit and play positively, backing the bowlers to do what they did at Adelaide as well. I think this pitch is going to offer significantly more than it did at Adelaide. That is something we are very excited about.

India named their 13-man squad for this Test, with R Ashwin and Rohit Sharma ruled out owing to injury concerns. There is every chance that India will go in with a four-pronged pace-only attack for only the third instance in their Test history, after Johannesburg (2018) and Perth (WACA, 2012).

"I have played all around the world for 10 years now and I have never played on a wicket like the one at Johannesburg to be honest. I have played at Perth as well in 2012 but was not even close to what Johannesburg was. We are not alien to pitches like these and this is nothing new for us. We know what to expect on a pitch like this. On a lively wicket where there is grass on the pitch and the surface being hard, you are as much as in the game as the opposition." When asked about how it feels to be the Indian captain to unleash this best-ever Indian pace attack', Kohli said, "I am lucky that when they are at their peak I am the captain. To be honest I haven't gone scouting for them, they have been playing for a while and it is just that these five have come into their own when I was the captain. So I am not going to sit here and take credit for unleashing some one."

Kohli also emphasised that though it is very "exciting phase" to be in, but they need to build on it.

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