Hindustan Times (Amritsar)

Virat Kohli’s mantra: Lead by aggression

- HT Correspond­ent sportsdesk@hindustant­imes.com

THE INDIAN SKIPPER HAS URGED PLAYERS NOT TO LOOK AT THE OPPOSITION IN SRI LANKA BUT INSTEAD PLAY WITH INTENSITY.

PALLEKELE : The Indian cricket team has so far done the athletic equivalent of running against the clock on this Sri Lanka tour. With the hosts in disarray, the visitors have set and accomplish­ed their own targets. Virat Kohli has led India in just 31 ODIs -- 14 of them since taking over from MS D ho ni in January. These are early days, but a good opportunit­y to try out a few things. The Indian skipper has urged players not to look at the opposition in Sri Lanka but instead play with intensity.

With this ODI series being the first step towards the 2019 World Cup, all players are eager to grab the chances they get.

In the first ODI in Dambulla on Sunday, which India won by nine wickets, Virat Kohli set some of the plans in motion.

Choosing to bowl on a good pitch, he asked Hardik Pandya, and not Jasprit Bumrah, to share the new ball with Bhuvneshwa­r Kumar.

The young all-rounder, who made an impact in Tests, took a while to settle down, and bowled only six overs. But the skipper believes he could provide the X-factor going forward.

BIG DECISION

Kohli has also taken the big deci- sion to keep out Ajinkya Rahane and bring KL Rahul at No 4 as both openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are in fine nick. If either fail, it will be interestin­g to see if he drafts in Rahane as opener or moves Rahul up.

Asked about his ODI captaincy on the eve of the series, he said: “It’s very basic, simple. One-day cricket, T20 cricket, anything, you have to be positive in your mindset. With the bat, you have to look to consolidat­e every situation, you have to stay one step ahead of the opposition.

“Even as a bowling unit, you need to look for wickets all the time. (With) ODI cricket there’s no guarantee. You can’t come back into the game… Sometimes, sides are better than you because they also have eleven quality players.

“Not change your mindset, always be aggressive, pick up wickets and try to save every run possible. That kind of environmen­t, if created, rubs off and everyone gets into that zone of ‘you have the ball in hand you’re going for wickets first’.

“The mindset has to be optimistic and positive. Taking wickets is the only way you can control runs in one-day cricket. If you give 30 in 10 overs and don’t take wickets, in the last 10 overs that’s going to be covered up.”

 ?? REUTERS ?? Virat Kohli.
REUTERS Virat Kohli.

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