Virat Kohli Mock Press Conference

‘Chin Music Down Under’

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli at a press conference
Source: Google

With the disappointments of away tours always hovering around the team management’s neck like a sharpened sword, the tour Down Under could never have come at a better time for team India.  Starwalts like David Warner and Steven Smith’s absence along with a poor run of form for their batsman has made India the bookies favourite. India’s bowling department is being considered to be one of the most balanced even without the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar.  

Talking to the reporters on December 6, team India captain Virat Kohli decribed it as interesting times for the young India team with players such as Prithvi Shaw coming of age and increasing headaches in team selection.  But he was quick to take the pressure off of young Shaw, having already been compared with the likes of Sachin, Lara and Sehwag.  Another batsman whose career might take off is Rishabh Pant.  A T20 specialist and a close Delhi connection might have put him into the India Team according to many, Pant will be iching to prove his critics wrong.  Kohli accepts that exposure at the right time, tour of England and Australia, can be the push he actually needs.  Skipper believes he has temperament and the skills to handle the bounce on pitches such as WACA in Perth.  

Kohli on the other hand cleared speculations of rift between him and Dhoni and trusts him as an instrumental cog in their lineup building up to the World Cup.  His fitness levels can still give young players a run for their money.  Drifting away from the captaincy and the team, Kohli realises the magnitude of his responsibility as India’s best batsman and the pressure to perform as an individual along-with providing a balance to the team.  But he was quick to clear that unlike Sachin, who in the 2008 tour of Australia did not play the his favourite cover drive in the 10 hours of batting while going on to make 241 in Sydney, he won’t be curbing his natural instincts and aggression while facing the chin music Down Under.  He is also aware that a level of competition needs to be maintained without crossing the line, which is why fans come to watch the game.

With the pitches in Australia only but getting slower over the years, the young Indian team can start the tour as favourites banking on support from their fans as well as former cricketers.