On Tuesday, the Indian cricket team is looking forward to locking horns with England in the first T20I on Tuesday, captain Virat Kohli addressed a press conference in which he said he would want his side to play fearless cricket. India, who recently won the two-match T20I series against Ireland, will be traveling to England for a three T20Is, three ODIs, and five Test match series. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Virat stressed that England will have more pressure than the visitors.
During the press-conference, Kohli said, “We all are feeling relaxed and having a good time. We want to play competitive cricket against England. It is pleasurable to beat a good team in their own conditions. England visited India back during the 2016-17 tour, and we won the trophy at that time. England would want to win it back in their home. We are going to play fearless cricket. We have nothing to lose and we just want to improve as a team.”
Speaking about the England side, Virat also praised the in-form batsman Jos Buttler, who displayed his form in the limited overs in the series against Australia last month. He said, “I am not surprised how Jos (Buttler) has performed. He got more opportunities this time to play, coming up at top of the order and he showed off his skill set. He grabbed his chances and it was lovely to watch him.”
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Kohli further went on to credit IPL for helping Buttler in gaining more confidence, he said, “Earlier, England players used to get a little experience in IPL. But after this season, we know each other better. I am glad that the rigid mindset was kept on the side and players were allowed to come and it did great for them, it will take the standard of the game up in the tour.”
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When asked about the tough conditions in England, the Indian skipper said that currently, the sky looks clear. He also said that after having a chat with the players like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ishant Sharma, who have had a county stint this season, have said that they had a great time, and learned a lot.
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Kohli also talked about the flexibility in the batting order of Team India, he said, “Well, we certainly are going to be more flexible. We will throw in a few surprises here and there. In T20Is, because it is not such a long innings, we can afford to do that. At the start of any tour, we are as excited as the opposition. Especially, when you are playing a tough side such as England, it is a chance to test yourself. We are going to try a few players, we want to test their skills, especially in limited overs cricket.”
The Indian skipper concluded by stating that they will be looking to carry on the winning mentality throughout the tour without worrying much about the results as they did the same in South Africa as well and end up getting positive results too. He also revealed that the team management is looking forward to trying out few things in ODIs as well on the tour, and hence the next phase is really important before going for the World Cup
