Virat Kohli plays down hype around mustwin South Africa tie
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Virat Kohli is backing Yuvraj Singh to strike it big as India face South Africa in a must-win ICC Champions Trophy match at The Oval on Sunday.
Yuvraj Singh, whose neversay-die spirit is now part of Indian cricket’s folklore, will be playing his 299th ODI and skipper Kohli wants a “special” innings from the veteran lefthander, who has been in sketchy form in this tournament.
Yuvraj will have a key role to play for India on Sunday.
Most teams in this Champions Trophy have made cautious starts and accelerated in the middle overs. Kohli sees a big role for Yuvraj against a South African attack that is well balanced in terms of pace and spin.
Against Pakistan, Yuvraj Singh batted at No. 5 and his 32-ball 53 with eight fours and a six took India past the 300-mark. He came in at No. 4 against Sri Lanka, managing just 7 runs.
Kohli feels Yuvraj’s big-match temperament is what India will need on Sunday.
“There is no doubt about his ability. He has achieved tremendous things for India and he might like to use this occasion as extra motivation,” said Kohli on Saturday.
Yuvraj is focused too. Among the first to take the field during nets at the Oval on Saturday, India skipper Virat Kohli is faced with tricky selection choices and needs his team to be at their best as they face the formidable South Africa in the mustwin Group B game in the Champions Trophy 2017 at the Oval on Sunday.
Virat Kohli’s side looked headed for the semifinals with a match to spare when they piled up 321 against Sri Lanka, only for their young rivals to bat out of their skin to upstage India by seven wickets at the Oval.
The result has turned the India-South Africa tie into a virtual quarterfinal as only the winner will qualify for the semifinals.
Virat Kohli’s team had faced massive pressure in the build-up to the opening game against archrivals Pakistan, but held their nerves to win by 124 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis method. On Saturday, the India skipper urged his players to focus on the job at hand and not be overawed by the prospect of facing the formidable opponents.
“We don’t have to do anything special to win against south Africa,” Virat Kohli told a media conference at the Oval on Saturday. “Such matches against South Africa test you as a player and team,” he said. “The team that holds its composure tomorrow, will win. We should not get excited about it.”
He played down hype ahead of the game, and wasn’t too pleased with suggestions that it would be a massive game for the 2013 Champions Trophy winners. “No match is the biggest for me. You all said the Pakistan game was the biggest. Has that perception changed now?” he countered. “We have discussed changes in the dressing room and all kinds of possibilities exist.”
Southpaw is fully focussed, being the first to take field in practice YUVRAJ IS EXPECTED TO ADD MUSCLE TO BATTING. KOHLI SAID INDIA WILL LOVE TO
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