Mohali: Indian captain Virat Kohli stated here Friday that comeback man Parthiv Patel ‘respects’ the fact that he is a just a stopgap keeper. Kohli, however, also pointed out that Parthiv would surely utilise the opportunity to seal his spot as the ‘second keeper’ for away tours.
“We are pretty excited to have him back although we wouldn’t have expected (Wriddhiman) Saha to get injured at this stage. Parthiv fully understands the situation he is in. He respects that and he’s looking forward to the opportunity and trying to make a mark. He knows that we take two wicket-keepers on away tours, so he is keen to prove himself as he knows this is a great chance,” Kohli told reporters here.
Even though India won’t be making any other change to the final XI, other than Parthiv, the skipper asserted that he will always follow the ‘horses for courses’. “The team have accepted it. We will play the best XI according to the situation,” Kohli pointed out. “No one has any objection to it… in fact we will even make changes to the batting order if the situation demands so. Our ultimate aim is to win and for that we will do whatever we can,” he added.
Kohli also stated the importance of mindset in modern day cricket. “To me every bowler in 2014 appeared difficult because of my mindset then,” stated Kohli. “But when you are playing well, when you are in the zone, no bowler will matter. I am in a very positive frame of mind now and looking to score more runs.”
Press Trust of India