‘Lively pitches not alien for India’
PERTH: The green pitches have ceased to be “alien” for the Indian team, declared captain Virat Kohli, who is hoping that Australia will not take off the grass from the pitch for the second Test, beginning Friday.
India took a 1-0 lead in the fourmatch series with a 31-run win in Adelaide, and will bank on the five pace bowlers to go 2-0 up in the four-match series.
“We certainly get more excited than nervous looking at lively pitches. We understand that we have a bowling attack that can bowl out the opposition now.
I hope no more grass is taken off it. We as a team are happy with that,” said a confident Kohli at the pre-match press conference.
“We just have to challenge ourselves as a batting unit and play positively, backing the bowlers to do what they did at Adelaide as well. This pitch is going to offer significantly more than it did at Adelaide. That is something we are excited about.
“I have played all around the world for 10 years now and I have never played on a wicket like the one at Johannesburg to be honest. I have played at Perth as well in 2012 but was not even close to what Johannesburg was. We are not alien to pitches like these and this is nothing new for us. We know what to expect on a pitch like this. On a lively wicket where there is grass on the pitch and the surface being hard, you are as much as in the game.”
When asked about how it feels to unleash this ‘best-ever Indian pace attack’, Kohli said, “I am lucky that when they are at their peak I am the captain.”