Thursday, 03 June 2021 | PTI | Mumbai
Indian skipper dismissed talk about lack of preparation, past results against Kiwis to have impact on WTC final
India captain Virat Kohli is not too concerned about the limited preparation time that his team will get for the World Test Championship final against New Zealand as he believes that it has the requisite understanding of conditions from its past experience of playing in England.
India take on New Zealand in the marquee game at Southampton from June 18.
Currently, New Zealand are engaged in a two-Test series against England, while India would be in quarantine after landing there, including three days of hotel quarantine.
“…Look, in the past we have landed in places three days prior even in a proper schedule and have had a hell of a series and hell of competition, so it is all in the head,” Kohli said in the pre-departure press conference.
Virat insisted that it was also about the mindset.
“…It is not the first time we are playing in England, we all know what the conditions are like,” he said.
“And even if you are used to the conditions, if you don’t enter the field in the right frame of mind, you are going to nick that first ball or you are going to find it tough to pick wickets,” added the superstar.
According to Kohli, his side would not have any issues even if it gets just four practice sessions.
“…We don’t have any issues even with four practice sessions heading into the game, because we are absolutely sure of what we can do as a team and we all have played in England.
“Whether it is with the Indian team or India A as well, for the likes of (Mohammed) Siraj… so we are not bothered by that at all and we just want to get there and make the most of the opportunity at hand,” he added.
Kohli echoed coach Ravi Shastri’s thoughts about the World Test Championship final holding a lot of value.
“All of us take a lot of pride in playing Test cricket, and the way, we have progressed as a side is an example of what Test cricket means to us. So, for all of us as a unit, those who have been part of the Test side for many years, this is like an accumulation of all the hard work,” he said.
India had lost the series in New Zealand last year and conditions in England are similar to the UK.
Asked what lessons India learnt from the loss in New Zealand, Kohli added: “Play better Test cricket. That is all. Conditions are the same for us as well as New Zealand.
“Australian conditions should have favoured Australians (but India won). It’s how you look at the situation. If you want us to board the flight from here, feeling like New Zealand’s got the edge, then there’s no point taking that flight.
“We are going to board that flight knowing that we are at equal terms. And whichever team performs well session by session, hour by hour is going to win that championship.”
Kohli said he wants to enjoy the WTC final and not take any pressure of past losses in crunch games of ICC tournaments in England.
“We don’t want to take pressure. If we start thinking about it (the losses in 2017 Champions Trophy final at The Oval and 2019 World Cup semi-final at Old Trafford), we won’t be able to perform. We want to enjoy the final without any pressure.”
