As India prepare to take the field at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Wednesday for the first Test of the five-match series against England, visiting captain Virat Kohli chose to play the cards close to his chest, when asked about the batting combination his side are likely to pick.
With England already announcing their playing XI for the game, Kohli was asked in the press conference about one of the biggest questions surrounding the visitors squad: who will open the batting?
Earlier, had coach Ravi Shastri had said that the important aspect for him was to make sure the top order sees off the initial conditions, and provide platform for the middle order to pile on the runs. He had also said that KL Rahul, the “third opener” in the side, could feature anywhere in the top four.
“It all depends on gut feeling,” Kohli told reporters on Tuesday. “You go ahead with what the management feels. We take a decision and then don’t look back at them, whether they come off or not. In Test cricket, team balance is important and we’ll discuss it today.”
The Indian captain once again reiterated that he is not too focussed on his personal numbers. During India’s last tour of England in 2014, he had managed to score only 134 runs across 10 innings.
“Back in the day, when I did not know better, I used to read a lot... it used to bother me,” he said, about the media expecting him to deliver with the bat on this tour. “But now I don’t know and I have no idea of what is happening around me. I have to focus on what I have to to.”
The India captain added that his team was in a good frame of mind ahead of the Test series and hoped the players who featured in the limited-overs series earlier this month have got enough time to get used to the conditions.
Kohli, when asked whether he wants his team to be seen as an underdog or as a favourite, said, “We don’t think about these things. We need professionalism more than feeling like the underdog or the favourite. We have to execute.”
The skipper also had words of praise for his bowling unit.
“Our bowlers have come a long way from the last time they toured here,” he said. “We are pretty happy we have so much depth in our bowling. They have understood that it is not about out-bowling the guy at the other end but about helping him. How we played in SA gave us a lot of confidence. Countries like England and Australia provide a difficult test but we like tests. We have to be positive about it.”
Kohli often talks about the mental aspect of the game before a big series, and it was no different this time around.
“You cannot afford to have individuals drifting with their mindset,” he said. “When things get tough, composure comes into the picture. We need to be excited about it and take the good and bad equally. We cannot worry about the other stuff.”
The 29-year-old added, “It boils down to belief. Even on a flat pitch in India you will get out if you don’t have belief even if the ball is doing nothing. But if you have belief, you can score a big hundred on a great wicket as well. It all comes down to what you have in your head.”
(More to follow)
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