Virat Kohli’s poor form during the last tour of England has been the subject of much discussion leading into this series, but the man himself is indifferent to all that talk. The Indian skipper feels he does not feel he has to prove himself in his side’s five-Test series against England.
A lot has been said and done prior to the start of the series. It’s not just the trophy which would be at stake, but also the bragging rights. For England, it’s a chance to show they are a team to reckon in the longer format. As for India, they want to do away with the ‘home bullies’ tag, and would want to avenge the humiliating losses in 2011 and 2014.
“My motive is to score runs & take Indian cricket forward” – @imVkohli #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/52jDOEkCWX
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2018
Kohli, who second in the Test batsmen rankings, averaged just 13.40 on India’s last tour of England in 2014. The ones will be on the Indian skipper to deliver and put behind the humiliating loss they suffered in 2014.
ALSO READ: Smriti Mandhana hits the second fastest 50 in Women’s T20
Knowing that India has not won a Test series in England since 2007, Kohli insists that he doesn’t pay attention about what the media had to say, but was rather focused towards his preparation and where the team had to head.
In his bowling depth, India captain @imVkohli trusts. Listen in! #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/VSShvDmBmS
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 31, 2018
Virat Kohli also revealed that he was not too concerned about the potential absence of pace spearheads Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah as his side prepared to take on England in the first of five Tests at Birmingham from Wednesday. In fact, he heaped praise on the bowling department, stating that the team had depth in the bowling unit and the current lot understood the conditions better.
Virat Kohli was confident of India’s chances, insisting that the five Tests had to be looked at more as an opportunity than an arduous examination. Going in with an experienced team this time, Kohli refuted the term of being underdogs or even the favourites going into the first Test.
However, the skipper has tough decisions to make in selecting his playing XI for Wednesday. But It did not affect him, he stated, if a choice he made in good faith appeared wrong in retrospect.