Done with Oz, Kiwis next

Bengaluru, January 20

A series win against Australia and the performance in New Zealand last year give India a lot of confidence ahead of their forthcoming tour, said Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Kohli said his team will be aiming to put New Zealand under pressure from the word go on the tour, which begins on January 24.

India will play five T20Is, three ODIs and two Tests in New Zealand. On their last tour of New Zealand, they had beaten the hosts 4-1 in the ODIs before losing the T20I series 1-2. “We are taking a lot of confidence from our performance in NZ last year. The thing about playing away is if you’re able to put the home team under pressure, you can enjoy your cricket,” Kohli said.

“You have to win at home, there’s that sort of feeling for the hosts. So, if you bring out your A game, you can really put them under pressure. That’s what we did last year, squeezed them in the middle overs, picked up wickets, spinners were outstanding,” he added.

Important to win at home

Kohli said it was important to win the home ODI series against Australia before embarking on the tour of New Zealand. The team is scheduled to leave for New Zealand on Monday night.

“We spoke of that at the huddle that this is the last game we’re playing in the series, and if we win, you go on a tour on a happy note. If you lose, it can go under the radar, you can brush it aside as ‘oh it’s just one loss’. But when you win and win under pressure — the last two games were tough wins — it boosts your confidence,” he said.

For the limited-overs leg of the New Zealand tour, Kohli picked out the areas of improvement. “We want to bat well when we bat first, and in case we’re defending a low total, we should be able to do that as well,” he said. — PTI

Love playing against Australia : Kohli

Virat Kohli said he loves playing against Australia as it brings the best out of him. “Last year at home, we were 2-0 up, we thought we’re definitely going to win one of the three at home, but they showed us that they understand these conditions very well now (to win 3-2), having played here a lot in the IPL and so many tours over the years,” Kohli said. “So, although they had a stronger side (with Steve Smith and David Warner back) than last time, we thought if we play good enough, we can beat this team,” he added. “The only thing we needed to be wary of was our body language and intent because that’s Australia’s strongest point. All the teams in the world are skilled but these guys play with the intent of making things happen every over. So, you can’t take your foot off the pedal at all.”

‘Will persist with Rahul as keeper’

Virat Kohli indicated that the team has made a significant decision when he said India would “persist” with KL Rahul as wicketkeeper for a “little bit”. This is significant because there is a feeling that young Rishabh Pant, seen as heir apparent to MS Dhoni, has not made use of the opportunities given to him. “Rahul really brings in a good balance if he can keep and bat that well in that position (No. 5),” said Kohli. “He has come into the slot and he has done well so we will have to persist with that a little bit and see where that takes us and not necessarily be confused about the other options we have.” 

“It definitely allows us to play an extra batsman. It is an important factor while choosing the side. You can look at Rahul Dravid’s example in the 2003 World Cup, when he started keeping behind the stumps, the balance of the side became a lot better and the side was able to play an extra batsman,” he added.