Life in the fast lane for Kohli’s men
India captain takes dig at scheduling as they face New Zealand five days after winning ODI series against Aussies at home
AUCKLAND: India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday took a dig at the scheduling of their tour of New Zealand within five days of a home assignment against Australia, saying cricketers are “getting closer and closer to landing at the stadium and playing straight”.
India are set to take on New Zealand in a five-match T20 International series from Friday after winding up the three-ODI series against Australia on Sunday. Kohli said the short turnaround is tough given the busy international calendar.
“Well it’s definitely getting closer and closer to landing at the stadium and playing straight. That’s how compressed the game has become but I think this kind of travel and coming to a place, which is seven hours ahead of India time, is always difficult to adjust to immediately,” Kohli told reporters on the eve of the first T20 here.
“So, I am sure these things will be taken into consideration much more in the future, yeah it is what it is, you can do whatever you can to get better and get on the park again, and that’s international cricket for you today, it is back to back,” he said. On the upside, the skipper said the scheduling ensures that players are in the zone.
“The last series we played against Australia was ODIs so we spent more time on the field, but we played a few T20s before that. Having played a lot more cricket than just T20s in the last three games, we will find it easier to come here and play even though with less time (to prepare).
“We are looking forward to that and starting with the series because this is the year of the World Cup and every T20 is important,” Kohli said.
Kohli said touring New Zealand is much less overwhelming than other cuntries as cricketers don’t seem to have a larger-thanlife image here.
“Any New Zealand tour is much more relaxed. Every tour is a representation of how people look at the game in that region and in New Zealand the game is looked at as a job for the guys that play the game.
“It is not larger than life or most important thing in life. It is part of the Kiwi culture and it is just a sport. They get on with it but they also play really hard and want to win the game. They are dejected or depressed if they don’t win, so I think it is a wonderful balance and something that every team that comes to New Zealand loves this tour” he explained. “...Kiwis are the most relaxed and chilled out and professional about what they do,” he added.
CAN’T THINK ABOUT REVENGE: KOHLI
The loss still rankles but Kohli said he can’t really bring himself to think of revenge when India take on New Zealand for the first time after the Kiwis sent his side packing from the ODI World Cup last year. The Black Caps defeated pre-tournament favourites India by 18 runs in the semi-finals in England and Friday’s tour-opening T20 International is the first clash between the two sides since then.
Kohli has spoken repeatedly about how devastating the loss was for him personally. “Even if you want to think of revenge, these guys are so nice you cannot get into that zone,” said Kohli.
“We get along really well with these guys and it’s all about being competitive on the field. As I said in England, they are probably one side that has set the example for teams to play international cricket,” he reasoned.
Lauding the affable demeanour of the Kane Williamson-led side, Kohli said they are great ambassadors for the sport.
“...they obviously want to bring out the best they can in every ball and every game, they are intense in their body language, they are not nasty, they are not doing things which are not acceptable on the field,” he pointed out.
Williamson and his men had drawn effusive praise for their grace in the aftermath of a heartbreaking World Cup final loss to England, a game that was decided on boundary count after scores were tied. “It is not about any kind of revenge—it is two quality sides playing good cricket. It is a challenge to beat New Zealand here and we are totally up for it,” Kohli said.
On to cricketing matters and the India skipper said the Kiwis are favourites in home conditions and he would not make the mistake of taking them lightly despite the recent injury setbacks.
“They will have slight home advantage but we have played a lot here in the past seasons. Every series is a fresh start and New Zealand in New Zealand is obviously a bigger challenge than playing them back in India. So we definitely have to be at our best game,” he said.