Perth, Jan 13: Virat Kohli top-scored for India with 41 runs as the visitors’ batting line-up collapsed for 161 on Day 1 of the Perth Test. Averaging around 21 runs in seven Tests, the 23-year has been under pressure to perform in the longest format of the game.

Excerpts from Virat’s media interaction after the end of day’s play:

On India’s batting

It is easy to find fault in every game that we have played but if you see how our batsmen got out [as compared to theirs], their edges didn’t carry and went into the gaps. Luck has to be [on your side] if you want sessions to go your way. You need to bat and bowl well but also need to have luck [on your side]. It has been tough and we need some sort of luck and some special performances to turn things around.

On not being able to convert his start into a bigger score

As I said, I was going well and we ended up losing two wickets just before tea. So again things didn’t go our way. But after that Australia batted amazingly well and took the game away from us. As I said, we will need a special performance from someone. Someone has to stand up and put in that special performance for us to be back in this game.

On whether India should have tried to bowl more dot balls

That’s exactly what Australia did in all three matches. They just pitch it on a good length and take it away from you, swing it in. They just work on the swing from the same length and they use the bouncers pretty well. It’s all about swinging in maiden overs [and] testing the batsman’s patience rather than trying to attack. [If you attack] too much it might not come off. That’s what we need to do tomorrow; we need to be more patient and need to swing in maiden overs so that we put pressure on them and force them to make mistakes.

On David Warner’s superb innings

A player like that always [needs] to play like that. That’s his strength; it [either] comes off [or] it doesn’t. This was one of those days when it all came off for him and credit to him. He played really well.