After having won the fourth ODI and leveling the series 2-2, India now look to build on the winning confidence hoping to take the momentum in the grand finale as well. Centurion in the previous ODI, Virat Kohli said, the team was in high spirits after a morale boosting win in Chennai.
“The mood is great, especially considering we beat South Africa in Chennai which was a must-win game for us,” Kohli said. “We hadn’t played good cricket collectively in the last few games until Chennai. It was important to get a collective performance in. We figured what had to be done and we were able to execute it which is a good thing. This Wankhede pitch should have more carry and bounce and it will be interesting to see the action unfold on pitches that have more pace. All the batsmen are in a very good mental space.”
Elaborating further about the vibe and fervor surrounding the final at the Wankhede stadium, Kohli said, “A game like tomorrow’s is something that I personally like to be a part of. You want to be performing in big games and winning for the team. That feeling after you make a significant contribution towards the team’s winning in a big game is something that as a sportsman is hard to replicate in any aspect of life otherwise. I am sure everyone will be geared up because you want to make an impact in important games and Wankhede is a stadium where we get a lot of support. It is loud and people are passionate. Everyone will be excited and geared up for tomorrow. This series has been very exciting so far and tomorrow’s game will be no different. Everyone will obviously put in their 110 percent.”
Kohli himself would be quite positive about his game especially after scoring a match-winning century in Chennai. He came out to bat at number three, a position he felt was like home. “The reason I feel more at home at No. 3 is I’ve played a lot of games there,” he said. “I know I have a decent record at No. 4 but I’ve played only 30 odd games there. The rest 120-130 games I’ve played at No. 3. That’s where I realised what my game was in international cricket, batting at No. 3. I’m sure and confident of my ability at No. 3 that I can stabilize the innings and hold one end so that the team can benefit. That has always been my mindset. Even if we’re chasing, I have the option of seeing the scoreboard and analyzing the situation and play accordingly. I can choose the bowlers to hit boundaries and execute that. I feel confident that I can control the game better at No. 3.”
India had a few batting worries to sort out going into the fourth ODI. The middle-order looked bleak with Suresh Raina not able to score freely. But he put an end to his dry run in the previous ODI scoring a fluent half century. But, over the course of the series, India captain MS Dhoni has time and again spoken about the firepower needed at the top of the order and the need to accelerate at the start of the innings. While Rohit Sharma has been going well, Shikhar Dhawan is going through a tough time getting a big score under his belt. Kohli though felt a big one was just round the corner from Dhawan.
“Dhawan has been tremendous for us in ODI cricket for a long period of time. If you see the World Cup as well, it was a high profile tournament and he stood up. He is very confident of his ability and he is someone when he gets going can take the game away from the opposition and that is why we show so much faith in his ability. He has a different mentality, because he can keep attacking throughout when he gets going.
Not many people have that. You might be cautious in between or feel like ‘should I play a shot or not’ but with Shikhar when he gets going, he can dominate throughout the innings which is a very rare quality to have. You have to back players like that especially against big oppositions because when they get a start, you know that they will dominate throughout and make it very easy for the batsmen coming in. He has been playing beautifully and hitting the ball really well. His game has evolved in the past few months and he is in a good mental space. It is just a matter of one innings and then you know how consistent he can be. I am not too worried about him not having scored in the series. You never know, tomorrow might be his day. It is a big game and he is a big match player. I am pretty confident he will come through.”
