Where the mind is without fear, Kohli’s revival mantra
Captain denies India’s batting is a oneman army, implores batsmen to play with clarity
Indian batsmen’s poor technique has been ruthlessly exposed by England pacers in seaming conditions twice, leaving them 0-2 down and in danger of suffering a series rout.
India lasted just 82.2 overs across two innings in the innings and 159-run defeat by England at Lord’s with the game effectively ending in two days. But Virat Kohli denied he was a ‘one-man army’ for India as other batsmen.
The India skipper instead urged his batsmen to clear their head before facing James Anderson and Co again as they have to win a mental battle to bounce back. Kohli also said his team would never blame the conditions for the losses.
“We didn’t play good cricket. We bowled well in the beginning but didn’t hit our areas consistently. We didn’t get enough chances in the field to miss any, but with bat and ball we could have done much better.”
Kohli denied he was a ‘oneman army’. “No one’s doing anyone a favour by going out there and performing. It’s our job to do that and it’s a duty we’ve been given. There’s no hiding from the fact that mistakes have been made. We’ll have to accept those, put them on the side, learn from them and make sure we’re not thinking about the same mistakes again.
“We’re certainly not thinking of anything else but going 1-2 in the series (at Trent Bridge next up) and building on that strongly. A side like England, when they play like that, they can outplay any opposition, especially when they play at home and the ball is doing a bit.”
He also denied India bore the scars of the 4-0 rout in 2011 and then 1-3 in 2014.
“We are not certainly thinking of last time around when we came here in 2014 or 2011. We are only thinking about the fact that we do have the bowling attack to pick up 20 wickets and as batsmen we should think of that as an opportunity to score runs and make the team win games. What’s been unfortunate, I wouldn’t say unfortunate, but sad we haven’t had those skills coming together.
“We need guys putting their hands up and saying ‘give me a tough situation, I’m going to pull the team out.’ As I said before the game, it’s all in the head. You can play well in any condition if you are mentally ready for it. We should want the next Test to come early rather than thinking we have five days till the match.”
After the Edgbaston defeat he asked his batsmen to analyse their performances and rectify. None has managed a fifty so far, apart from Kohli’s 149 and 51. “When you start the game, you think positive, feel like you are ready. It’s when you are out there in a situation that’s tough that you have to find ways of countering that situation, which I think we have failed to do as batsmen, myself included in this game.
“I don’t see any technical deficiency. If a batsman is clear in the head and he’s clear about the plans he’s taking, then if the ball does something off the pitch, you’re able to counter it…
“The focus has to be what the team requires and not what the individual game needs to be. All I can say is we are going to try our level best to get into that frame of mind.”
I don’t see any technical deficiency. The focus has to be what the team requires and not what the individual game needs to be. On what needs to be done No anyone one’s a doing favour by going out there and performing. It’s our job to do that and it’s a duty we’ve been given.
On whether India is a one-man army
We only are thinking not certainly that we thinking have the of bowling 2014 or to 2011. pick We up 20 are wickets and as batsmen we should think of that as an opportunity to score runs and make the team win games. On whether the team was suffering any hangover of the 2011 and 2014 tours