We are skilled enough to tackle New Zealand's plans Virat
Virat Kohli is a picture of quiet confidence. A victory in a season opener can do that for you. But there is now a definite sense of him having grown into his new leadership position. On the eve of the Kolkata Test, the Indian captain fielded wide-ranging questions on Gautam Gambhir, Jayant Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja's role. There were also the usual questions on the No.1 Test ranking, the pitch and DRS.
Excerpts...
On the wicket and his thoughts...
Yes, I've seen the wicket. No comments on the wicket for now. We've got all the bases covered as far the team is concerned. It looks like a normal wicket that we expect at Eden Gardens. The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. It should be a good wicket to bat on.
Injury concerns and if Jayant Yadav is a cover for Ravichandran Ashwin...
Jayant is not there as a cover. Ishant (Sharma) would have started the first game had he been fit. We have three quicks already and we felt we don't need anymore. We thought of adding another off-spinner because they have five left-handers in their line-up. This would help at some stage when we plan to play three spinners. Maybe, two off-spinners could play together. That was the whole idea bringing in another guy who can bowl at the left-handers. Left-arm spinner we have... leg-spinner we have. So someone, along with Ashwin, would do the same job in case we require two (off-spinners) against the five left-handers.
On Ravindra Jadeja's abilities with the bat...
What I think is that he used to think too much about Test cricket... about it being too difficult and him having to play differently. I think there are different ways of playing and he certainly has a different way of playing cricket which we feel he shouldn't change. Obviously, he will gain experience and when we come to a situation where we have to play out a session to save a Test match, he will gain that skill as well.
I think he needs to get confident and that can only happen by scoring more runs. The other skills will keep adding on at this level. Hes feeling more confident about himself, about his contribution. There's an assurance from the team management to make him feel confident about his batting. Giving him confidence at the nets, giving him practice games. If you make the 60s, 70s and 80s regularly, you start remembering how you did it. Just small targets that we discussed with him and he's responded in a really big way. I'm happy with the way that hes contributing with the bat because I felt he always had the skills. It's just about working harder and making sure the team benefits from the skills. I hope he can keep continuing.
On New Zealand coming up with a different approach...
Not really. A good ball is a good ball to any batsman on any pitch. Our focus will be to execute our skills as well we can. Its also about the batsmen on how they play. In the first game they had some good partnerships and you just have to sit back appreciate that. We have come with a plan. I think Test cricket is all about coming back from situations rather then being on top all the time. We expect them to play really good cricket but we expect to bounce back and pull things back if things go their way. Were not pre-planning for any approach. We feel that we are skilled enough to tackle any plans they come with. If we are pre-planned, then its difficult to switch back to other things. We go with a clear head then its easy to adapt to a situation put forth in front of us.
On the No.1 Test ranking serving as extra motivation for Kolkata Test...
I don't get motivated by records. If you notice the cricket we played two years ago in Tests and now, it's easy to get carried away by these records. You'll end up focussing on the process. Similarly in batting, when you start your career and set a target that in the first seven years I'm going to score this may runs, then you may end up losing focus on the process after you reach the target. Personally, I don't think about these things. My goal is to play cricket of a certain level and maintain it. No. 1 doesn't matter for us because that is temporary. A lot of competitive teams are playing and things could change after a series. If you get attached to these things, then you get upset you are not able to do it. It's better to observe things that are not directly in our control from far.
Gautam Gambhir hit the nets late today. Any reason?
We basically do segregation of the batsmen in the nets depending on who has had a hit at what stage. So it all depends on who has had batting practice previous day or who hasn't, or preferably who is going to play. Initially who is going to start. Day before the game, we definitely look to do that with the batting order. It can differ from player to player. Sometimes a player doesn't want to bat in the nets. He just wants throw downs. You won't see him entering the nets, that doesn't mean he won't play. It's just the preparation preference that an individual has before a game.
You had a session with rubber ball. What was the thought behind it?
Rubber ball was because we play three formats and we sometimes do tend to bat in a flow. It is very important to work on skills that bring stability as well, which you already have, but it is about repeating those things. It was all about wanting to control the ball that is bouncing and not coming at pace. That was the idea behind that.
My own form, I don't really think about these things. Because, cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time. Especially while batting, where you have only one chance. If you get caught off a no-ball it is different. Generally cricket is a game of chances, but preparation is in my hand. I look to that 100% every time I walk on to practise.
I don't think there is anything called form; it's how you feel on a particular day. It can be - even if you are scoring runs every game suddenly you don't feel good one game and get out. That doesn't mean you are out of form. It doesn't mean you come back into form suddenly just because you are playing well one day. It is just about how good you are feeling mentally. That's all we as cricketers look to achieve. To be stable in our heads, whether you get runs or don't. That's the most important thing in the long run. You can't do it every time when you walk out. You have to understand that and accept that. What's in our hands is to work hard, and we do that in every practice session.
Status on Ashwin's fitness and the possible combination?
Yes Ashwin is absolutely fine. Combinations, obviously I can't speak about yet. The pitch looks good. As a home side if we feel we are able to put big runs on the board, that obviously puts pressure on the opposition, regardless of the wicket we are playing on. I felt that even in the last game we had a chance of getting 400-plus, but we didn't capitalise. Those are the things we want to correct. Once you have a big score on the board, the opposition feels they have to work that extra bit or bat a session and a half more than they would like to. That gives you an advantage in the game.
The wicket is what we see in Kolkata, more often than not. It's generally a very good batting wicket.
Thoughts on DRS?
Those are the things I can't say yes or no to, sitting here. But these are the things we have discussed and had meetings on. Because there were some areas that we felt can be debated, especially the ball-tracking and HawkEye. We wouldn't take decisions too hard because we in the first place decided we would not use DRS. For us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us is not logical. There is no room for excuses. Once DRS is in place, once DRS is up and running for us as well, then you can sit and think what are the grey areas. As I said, these things have been spoken about. We want to definitely think about it. but I can't make a decision sitting here right now. It's a good point you made. It's something we have had discussions on. We will certainly look to probably introduce it in future.
Excerpts...
On the wicket and his thoughts...
Yes, I've seen the wicket. No comments on the wicket for now. We've got all the bases covered as far the team is concerned. It looks like a normal wicket that we expect at Eden Gardens. The surface is pretty nice, it has a little bit of grass covering. It should be a good wicket to bat on.
Injury concerns and if Jayant Yadav is a cover for Ravichandran Ashwin...
Jayant is not there as a cover. Ishant (Sharma) would have started the first game had he been fit. We have three quicks already and we felt we don't need anymore. We thought of adding another off-spinner because they have five left-handers in their line-up. This would help at some stage when we plan to play three spinners. Maybe, two off-spinners could play together. That was the whole idea bringing in another guy who can bowl at the left-handers. Left-arm spinner we have... leg-spinner we have. So someone, along with Ashwin, would do the same job in case we require two (off-spinners) against the five left-handers.
On Ravindra Jadeja's abilities with the bat...
What I think is that he used to think too much about Test cricket... about it being too difficult and him having to play differently. I think there are different ways of playing and he certainly has a different way of playing cricket which we feel he shouldn't change. Obviously, he will gain experience and when we come to a situation where we have to play out a session to save a Test match, he will gain that skill as well.
I think he needs to get confident and that can only happen by scoring more runs. The other skills will keep adding on at this level. Hes feeling more confident about himself, about his contribution. There's an assurance from the team management to make him feel confident about his batting. Giving him confidence at the nets, giving him practice games. If you make the 60s, 70s and 80s regularly, you start remembering how you did it. Just small targets that we discussed with him and he's responded in a really big way. I'm happy with the way that hes contributing with the bat because I felt he always had the skills. It's just about working harder and making sure the team benefits from the skills. I hope he can keep continuing.
On New Zealand coming up with a different approach...
Not really. A good ball is a good ball to any batsman on any pitch. Our focus will be to execute our skills as well we can. Its also about the batsmen on how they play. In the first game they had some good partnerships and you just have to sit back appreciate that. We have come with a plan. I think Test cricket is all about coming back from situations rather then being on top all the time. We expect them to play really good cricket but we expect to bounce back and pull things back if things go their way. Were not pre-planning for any approach. We feel that we are skilled enough to tackle any plans they come with. If we are pre-planned, then its difficult to switch back to other things. We go with a clear head then its easy to adapt to a situation put forth in front of us.
On the No.1 Test ranking serving as extra motivation for Kolkata Test...
I don't get motivated by records. If you notice the cricket we played two years ago in Tests and now, it's easy to get carried away by these records. You'll end up focussing on the process. Similarly in batting, when you start your career and set a target that in the first seven years I'm going to score this may runs, then you may end up losing focus on the process after you reach the target. Personally, I don't think about these things. My goal is to play cricket of a certain level and maintain it. No. 1 doesn't matter for us because that is temporary. A lot of competitive teams are playing and things could change after a series. If you get attached to these things, then you get upset you are not able to do it. It's better to observe things that are not directly in our control from far.
Gautam Gambhir hit the nets late today. Any reason?
We basically do segregation of the batsmen in the nets depending on who has had a hit at what stage. So it all depends on who has had batting practice previous day or who hasn't, or preferably who is going to play. Initially who is going to start. Day before the game, we definitely look to do that with the batting order. It can differ from player to player. Sometimes a player doesn't want to bat in the nets. He just wants throw downs. You won't see him entering the nets, that doesn't mean he won't play. It's just the preparation preference that an individual has before a game.
You had a session with rubber ball. What was the thought behind it?
Rubber ball was because we play three formats and we sometimes do tend to bat in a flow. It is very important to work on skills that bring stability as well, which you already have, but it is about repeating those things. It was all about wanting to control the ball that is bouncing and not coming at pace. That was the idea behind that.
My own form, I don't really think about these things. Because, cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time. Especially while batting, where you have only one chance. If you get caught off a no-ball it is different. Generally cricket is a game of chances, but preparation is in my hand. I look to that 100% every time I walk on to practise.
I don't think there is anything called form; it's how you feel on a particular day. It can be - even if you are scoring runs every game suddenly you don't feel good one game and get out. That doesn't mean you are out of form. It doesn't mean you come back into form suddenly just because you are playing well one day. It is just about how good you are feeling mentally. That's all we as cricketers look to achieve. To be stable in our heads, whether you get runs or don't. That's the most important thing in the long run. You can't do it every time when you walk out. You have to understand that and accept that. What's in our hands is to work hard, and we do that in every practice session.
Status on Ashwin's fitness and the possible combination?
Yes Ashwin is absolutely fine. Combinations, obviously I can't speak about yet. The pitch looks good. As a home side if we feel we are able to put big runs on the board, that obviously puts pressure on the opposition, regardless of the wicket we are playing on. I felt that even in the last game we had a chance of getting 400-plus, but we didn't capitalise. Those are the things we want to correct. Once you have a big score on the board, the opposition feels they have to work that extra bit or bat a session and a half more than they would like to. That gives you an advantage in the game.
The wicket is what we see in Kolkata, more often than not. It's generally a very good batting wicket.
Thoughts on DRS?
Those are the things I can't say yes or no to, sitting here. But these are the things we have discussed and had meetings on. Because there were some areas that we felt can be debated, especially the ball-tracking and HawkEye. We wouldn't take decisions too hard because we in the first place decided we would not use DRS. For us to then say that the umpires made an error and it is going against us is not logical. There is no room for excuses. Once DRS is in place, once DRS is up and running for us as well, then you can sit and think what are the grey areas. As I said, these things have been spoken about. We want to definitely think about it. but I can't make a decision sitting here right now. It's a good point you made. It's something we have had discussions on. We will certainly look to probably introduce it in future.
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