India will go into the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka, at the Eden Gardens, having already clinched the series 3-0. Having spoken about cultivating a culture of “ruthlessness” in the team earlier, stand-in captain, Virat Kohli maintained that a series in the bag will not affect on the intensity of the team.
“Until the end of the innings, we are looking to get the opposition out rather than restrict runs. These are the things we want to do,” Virat said in Kolkata.
“When it comes to batting or bowling, you get better at a particular shot or a ball only after practicing it 500-600 times. So, why not do the same when it comes to winning? We want winning to be a habit that we do over and over again rather than being something that we are asked to do.”
While striving to form a winning habit, Virat was also realistic about the fact that there will be losses along the way. He said he wants to create a strong core group of secure individuals who won’t let defeats ruin their confidence.
“The intention is the keep the guys happy,” Virat said. “Right now we are winning but there will be times when we won’t get the desired results. We have to ensure that the team environment is such that the guys feel secure even when we lose. It’s only when the results won’t come our way, the team’s composure will count, along with mine.”
There are a couple of changes in the Indian squad for the last two ODIs, with Rohit Sharma and Robin Uthappa coming in and Varun Aaron sitting out due to injury.
This will be Rohit’s first international series since his injury in England that forced him to fly back home midway through the ODI series. Virat is elated to have Rohit back.
“One of his biggest strengths is that he doesn’t change himself or his game based on successes and failures,” Virat said of Rohit. “To have an unfortunate injury in England when he was batting well, go out, recover and rest and scoring a century in his first comeback game (warm-up match against Sri Lanka in Mumbai), shows the mental toughness he possesses.
“We are all aware of how good he is with the bat. He brings in a lot of positivity in the team; he is a good thinker of the game. Even in the past when I have led the side, I have spoken to him about various things that can be done in different situations and he is always up for discussions about fields or plans against a particular batsman. He brings a lot of things to the table.
“It’s great to have him back because a player like him, when he gets going, can be the x-factor for you in a tournament like the World Cup. His value to the team is massive and it’s great to have him back.
Virat said Rohit, in all probability, will take back his opening slot in the batting order. “We have spoken about it and in all probability he will bat where he has been batting in the past. It’s all about giving him confidence. These two ODIs and the tri-series in Australia will really help him get back into his groove at the top of the order. We will be looking to give him as many overs to bat as possible.”
With the absence of Aaron, India will miss out on an all-out pace attack consisting him, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. While Virat saw this as an opportunity for Dhawal Kulkarni to press his case, he said building a strong and lethal pace attack was one of the team’s objectives.
“We would have liked to have all-out pace upfront with Ishant, Varun and Umesh, but it’s fine because if someone gets a niggle, someone else gets an opportunity to come in and show his ability. Dhawal is a good bowler and it’s time for him to grab on to his chances.
“But yes, an all-out pace attack is what we will look to have in the future; it’s an area of strength we want to build as the Indian team. It will be a change of character for us as well because we haven’t really had two bowlers who bowl at 150-plus with the new ball and another guy who is 6’4 tall, clocks 140-plus consistently and extract the extra bounce.”
The captain also confirmed that Robin Uthappa will take up the duties behind the wicket in the last two ODIs. “The keeper will be Robin Uthappa. He has been brought in as a wicketkeeper-batsman. He has kept wicket in the IPL as well and done well. If he can show his skills with both bat and gloves, it will be very handy for us in the future. He batted really well in the IPL and got his runs with good cricketing shots, not slogging. He is in good mental space right now and it is important for us to keep someone like him confident.”
As attention drew towards his captaincy, Virat said he uses this opportunity to try out the various ideas in his mind he has had while playing under different captains. He said he was lucky to have a team that is responding well to his leadership.
“There have been times in the past where as a player I’ve felt, ‘Why is that not happening? This could have been done.’ Captaincy gives me an opportunity to open up my mind, use my vision and implement the ideas that I have, on the field. I strongly believe in my ideas on the field and that’s one reason why we are able to execute them well more often than not.
“If as a captain I put a field and the bowler runs in to take a wicket, more often than not he will take a wicket. As the captain I try to take the players along with me and keep their intensity level as high as I expected it to be, because as they say, the captain is only as good as his team. I look good on the field because everyone puts in their 100 percent effort and do what I ask them to do.”
The toughest captaincy test for Virat will be when he steps out at the Gabba to captain India in the first Test in Australia, in the absence of the injured MS Dhoni. Virat is already looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s a massive moment for me, captaining my first Test match and that too in Australia. I am very excited because I have some plans in mind. The focus will be on how we can win the Test match and not on individual goals. That is something I would look to bring in as the captain and it is a very special moment for me indeed.”
By: BCCI
