Virat Kohli seemed to be in a relaxed mood when he walked out to address the press here in Bengaluru on the eve of the 2nd Test against Australia. There were questions being asked if the team was under any pressure to bounce back come Saturday. To which Kohli answered, “Do I look like I am under pressure? I am smiling and I am happy,”. Before the preparations went underway, Virat addressed his team on the ground in a seated huddle. Coach Anil Kumble followed suit thereafter and the team began practice with a boost in energies. There were intense catching drills, long sessions at the nets and it looked as if the team was waiting to take the field. 0-1 down in the series no doubt, but Kohli believed losses like these were a reality check and helps the team to improve on things they were lacking.
“Sometimes such losses are necessary for the team,” he said. “We look at it as a chance to improve some of the things that we need to win a Test match. Very rarely does it happen that the full team doesn't contribute, and Pune was one such Test for us. We got to learn a lot from the Test and our intention remains that same that we try and win. Intensity in practice doesn’t change irrespective of the result.
“We got to know a lot more things that we need to still keep working on to be the top side in the world. You can't take anything for granted at any stage of a Test match. It's something that you look at this as an opportunity to learn rather than a setback. I think these things are also important for your cricket journey. I can assure you that everyone's taking this as a massive challenge. Everyone's raring to turn things around in the series and play the kind of cricket we know we can play, not take a backward step at any stage. You will not get to see a performance like that again; that I can assure you.”
When asked if the criticism after the first Test loss mattered at all, Kohli said, “I felt this sort of strange energy that some people were quite excited about the fact that they had something to write about the team after two years. Some people would have made more out of their jobs in those few days, I guess. Us as a team, we never got excited by praise, we don't focus on criticism either. What we focus on is what we think of each other as individuals in the change room and the respect that we maintain there. We take losses together, we take wins together and that's how we move forward as a team. The comments or headlines don't matter to us, they never have and we don't base our cricket on that.”
Virat also assured that the intensity levels in practice sessions building up to the 2nd Test have been top notch. The team had given it all and there will be 100 percent commitment on the field assured the Indian captain. “There won't be any hesitation from here on till the end of the series from our side. Practice has always been similar, win or lose. That's how you become consistent as a team, when you repeat the same things day in and day out. We have a set pattern of practise we always execute before every Test match and this time is no different. When you lose because of lack of intent, those things need to be addressed and we've done that.”
Though he did not give away too much on the team combinations, Virat said one could expect a few surprises. Hardik Pandya was out of contention for the next Test owing to a shoulder niggle. Apart from him the rest were available for selection. Australia captain Steve Smith suggested India would be under pressure walking into the second Test. However, Kohli seemed undeterred about the “mind games” and decided to focus on his team’s strengths rather than focusing on one player or remarks made by the opposition.
