Indian test captain said that he would mix caution with aggression
Virat Kohli indicated he was not burdened by Indian's poor record that has seen the team register just five wins in 40 Test matches Down Under
Mumbai: He might not exactly ape his captain M.S. Dhoni on the field, but when Virat Kohli puts his captain’s arm band, the two share plenty in common. Addressing his first press conference as India Test captain before embarking on the daunting tour of Australia, the 26-year-old was oozing confidence.
Articulate in his thoughts and replies, a matured and calm Kohli indicated he was not burdened by Indian’s poor record that has seen the team register just five wins in 40 Test matches Down Under.
Kohli, who was himself part of the 4-0 drubbing last time, but was India’s top scorer with 300 runs, including a career-defining century in Adelaide said the experience changed him.
“That tour (Australia in 2011-12) was a milestone in my career and a career-changing phase for me. I was a different person and a different character when I left the shores of Australia back in 2012.”
He said as captain, he would mix caution with aggression. “It has to be caution with aggression. The first priority is to be positive and aggressive and then we dictate terms when are in a position where we can sort of plan ahead, so the intent has to be positive and aggressive.Kohli showed faith in young team and said it was important to remain positive throughout the tour.
“You have to think of winning every single minute of the day, before the tour and after going there also.
That’s how you will compete with a team like Australia and actually have good chances of beating them on their home ground. India have done it in Australia and I see no good reason as to why it can’t happen again.
”With Dhoni ruled out of the opening game, Kohli will have the arduous task of picking the right XI from a total squad of 18. “First things first, we need to figure out the best combination for the Test series. Test cricket is about sticking to a particular combination and giving those players confidences throughout the series.
“It is very important not to let them feel that they are replacements, sitting there to replace someone. You need to give them the confidence to find out the right combination and we can’t go there with the mindset of going out there and then thinking we will see what happens,” the Indian stand-in skipper added.
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