Can’t be arrogant, says Virat
LONDON : The Pakistan challenge done and dusted with consummate ease, India skipper Virat Kohli categorically said the mood in the team was very positive but there was no arrogance going into the Group B contest against Sri Lanka on Thursday. To a question whether all the competing teams were a bit scared of India after the way they started off against Pakistan, Kohli simply put it down to playing well.
“We are playing some good cricket, but that doesn’t mean we play with arrogance as a team. We respect every opposition the same way, and we intend to play the same kind of cricket against everyone. That’s the only way to win.” Commenting on the fickle ways of limited-overs cricket, and that lower ranked teams can beat the best on any given day, Kohli said, “In this sport, anyone can upset anyone on their given day. This tournament being for the top eight teams in the world, you certainly cannot even think of taking anyone lightly. All I can say is, as a team, we just want to focus on what we can do right and the things that are working.”
Virat, who had expressed concern over his team’s fielding following a couple of dropped catches and a few hits slipping through the fingers for boundaries against Pakistan, agreed that complacency could set in, especially when the “team (opposition) is seven or eight down, and you know the game is going to get done soon”.
He, however, added that there was a mechanism to address that in the setup. “We addressed those things and asked the guys to be ruthless and finish games off because the teams that bat deep, they can get a 60-70-run partner- ship even in the end if there is a lapse in the field.
“In a tournament like this, I think you need to plug those holes…. I think the guys wanted to bring in that extra energy, and sometimes, you know, the starting of the tournament, creating momentum as a team, you can misfield a few, and you can get over excited.”
Kohli was effusive in praise for Hardik Pandya, who is fast emerging as an all-rounder and an impact player. “He’s a real asset. It’s very hard to find a guy who can almost touch 140 kph and who strikes the way he strikes the ball; and he can bat through the innings as well. We saw that in the practice game. So, if you give him 16, say 17 overs to bat, he can do that job for you as well… Once you have a player like that, you need to make sure he’s always committed, always motivated to give 100 per cent for the team. That comes naturally to Hardik.”