Even if you didn’t know about ‘134 runs in five Tests’, we’re pretty sure you know exactly what we are talking about by now.
Virat Kohli’s poor run in 2014 has been brought up so often that he visibly bristles when asked the question – again. Bristling won’t help, of course. He needs to score runs in the five Test matches in England, and says that he is ready for it.
“Back in the day, when I did not know better, these things used to bother me because I used to read a lot,” Kohli said on the eve of the first Test, starting in Edgbaston on Wednesday, August 1.
Some observers feel England are too formidable at home for India to entertain hopes of a series win, while supporters of the Indian team use the visitors’ No.1 ranking and England’s poor recent run in Test cricket as guns to fire with.
“Whether you want to act as an underdog or favourite it is in your own head. You need professionalism more than feeling like an underdog or starting as a favourite. That is something we want to do as a team: We want to be consistent and professional,” said Kohli.
“If you’re an underdog, it’s not a given that the pressure will only be on the opposition; if you’re favourites, it’s not certain that the underdogs will be fearless the whole time. We’ve played enough cricket at this level to understand that these are things discussed on the outside. As a professional cricketer, you have to go out there and execute what you are picked for.”
