FILE PHOTO: Cricket - First Test - South Africa v India - SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium, Centurion, South Africa - December 26, 2023 India's Virat Kohli walks off after losing his wicket REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo
PERTH (Reuters) - Virat Kohli returned to form with a classy century as India claimed a thumping win against Australia in their series opener and stand-in skipper Jasprit Bumrah said the veteran batsman's importance to the side cannot be overstated.
Kohli, 36, came in for heavy criticism in the run-up to the Perth test after scoring only 192 runs in his previous 10 innings and posting an average of 15.50 in India's three home test defeats by New Zealand.
The pressure mounted on the former skipper when he was dismissed for five as India were skittled for 150 in their first innings in Perth, but he responded with an unbeaten 100 in the second innings to put the tourists on course for victory.
Bumrah, who stepped in as captain with Rohit Sharma on leave for the birth of his second child, said Kohli had battled through tough times before in his career and this was no different.
"I've said this before, Virat Kohli doesn't need us, we need him," Bumrah told reporters on Monday after India sealed a 295-run victory to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
"He's an experienced player. This is his fourth or fifth tour (of Australia). He knows his cricket better than anyone else. He looked in good shape and was mentally switched on.
"Sometimes when you have such a long career, you bat in tough conditions and he has batted in tough scenarios for a long time. But it's difficult to do that all the time."
Kohli's ton was his seventh in tests in Australia, eclipsing the record of Sachin Tendulkar among Indian batsmen. Englishman Jack Hobbs tops the list of test centuries by visiting batsmen in Australia with nine.
Bumrah said Kohli quickly shook off his first-innings dismissal and his show of confidence helped those around him.
"He got a good delivery in the first innings but he was still in a great space and capitalised in the second innings," Bumrah added.
"We needed an experienced batter then. He played well and helped his partners play well. When he gets confidence at the start of a series, you can't ask for more."
The second test in Adelaide begins on Dec. 6.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
