Skipper cautiously optimistic as team depart for South Africa
Mumbai: Winning Test matches outside the sub-continent has been an ‘Achilles Heel’ for the Indian teams over the years but skipper Virat Kohli made it clear that they have ‘nothing to prove to anyone’ during the upcoming South Africa series, starting January 5.
India have not won a single Test series in the ‘Rainbow Nation’ for the past 25 years, starting back from the inaugural one in 1992.
“We have got rid of all the mental pressures of touring abroad and wanting to prove to people. Our duty is to go out there, give our 100 per cent effort for the country and get the result that we want to. We do not want to prove anything to anyone,” Kohli said at the pre-departure press conference of the Indian team.
“We need to be realistic with what we are doing and that the only way we will be staying in the present and execute the things we want to. We are going there to just play cricket and it does not matter whether we are in South Africa, Australia, England or India. When you do things in conditions that are more challenging, that gives you more job satisfaction, that is for sure,” the skipper added.
Indian teams over the years have struggled with the bounce that South African pitches offer, having won only two Test matches over the years. The best result came during the 2010-11 series, which India drew 1-1.
“You need to take up challenges mentally and then every condition seems like home conditions. If you get accustomed to where you are going and you start feeling comfortable embracing the culture, people, it becomes easier. Cricket is a very mental game,” Kohli explained.
Kohli agreed that they haven’t played a lot outside the sub-continent of late but the current team are confident of a good show. “We are talking about a wholly different prospect over here, which we understand as a team and we are looking forward to it. Every tour is a chance, if you look at the teams which have gone to South Africa in the past, I mean you are talking about some of the biggest names in Indian cricket, it’s not like that was not like a chance,” Kohli sounded cautiously optimistic.
“You need to play really good cricket for a very long period of time to win series and that is something that we are pretty excited about and we want to go out there and express ourselves,” asserted the straight-talking captain.
More crucial than cricket
Getting married was ‘something much more important’ than a cricket series for Virat Kohli as he asserted that the three-week break won’t affect his preparations for the upcoming South Africa tour. Asked how difficult will it be for him to return to cricket post the marriage celebrations with Anushka Sharma, the Indian skipper replied: “Not difficult at all, I was away for something (marriage) which is much more important. That is a period that will always remain special for both of us. Switching back to cricket is not difficult at all because it is in my blood.”
