Press Trust of India
Sydney, Jan 22: India would desperately try to avoid the embarrassment of a whitewash when they face Australia in the fifth and final game of the ODI series here Saturday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). The hosts are up 4-0 in the five-match series.
But vice-captain Virat Kohli asserted here Friday that India were not unfazed by the situation and that they were not ‘mentally bogged down’. He also asserted that India have the ability to win the game Saturday as well as the three T20 games after the completion of the ODI series.
“Every game of the ODI series played so far has been competitive,” Kohli stated. “If we had been mentally bogged down, we wouldn’t have been able to compete at all. We just have to be smarter about chasing down totals and bowlers will also have to be clever if we bowl first. The Australians are a tough side, they have been successful because they have used the situations better.
“They are on a streak of winning 18 games at home. So we need some extra bit of experience in such conditions. We would like to learn because we have to keep coming back here and we want to do well here,” Kohli added.
Kohli, who has smashed two centuries on the tour, felt the team failed to capitalise on important moments. “We have played good cricket so far, but we have not been up to the mark at crucial junctures. That is why they are up 4-0,” Kohli stated. “Still I feel we have been very competitive on the field. If you see all the four matches, they have been very close. We could have won all the four if we had capitalised on our chances. We have lacked in that aspect, coming good in crunch situations.”