press trust of india
Bangalore, Nov 13: India’s Test captain Virat Kohli stated here Friday that there is no need ‘to take criticisms to heart’ about playing the visiting South Africans on turning tracks and said that the result-oriented pitches would bring the dwindling crowd back to the grounds in the Test format.
Asked if the hat-trick of Test wins under his captaincy has been buried under the controversies surrounding the nature of Mohali track, Kohli gave a straightforward reply.
“It’s only disappointing if you are looking to take what is written or said to heart, or think about it too much. We focus on the process and don’t really think about what’s being written or what’s being said. The fact of the matter is we won a Test match and that’s what we feel good about as a team,” Kohli told reporters here Friday.
“We are not worried about any external factors or what’s being discussed about things that are not in our control. If someone chooses to say or write about something which they feel is a topic of interest, that’s their choice. We are not at all disappointed. We won a game of cricket. We are very happy about it,” he added.
For Kohli, the players are focussed so much on the game that other factors become a non-issue when the mach is on. “It doesn’t really make us sad that we won’t have so many people turning up to watch this Test match. Obviously, you like playing in front of full stadiums and full crowds. But when the game begins, these things take a back seat,” he asserted.
