Virat Kohli: I have nothing to prove in England

Virat Kohli: I have nothing to prove in England

Virat Kohli might have a Test batting average of 13 in England but on the eve of the upcoming five-Test series, he downplayed the talk about the performance pressure. In his pre-match press conference, the Indian skipper spoke team efforts rather than individual performances.

“I want to score runs for the team and take Indian cricket forward, and that's my only motive," said Kohli. "I'm not in a frame of mind to prove myself in any country, I want to perform for the team. Back in the day when I did not know better, these things used to bother me because I used to read a lot. But honestly, I genuinely don't read anything. I have no idea what's going on. I need to be in the most convinced and the most clear mental space that I can be and that happens when I'm just focused on what I need to do.”

In India's last tour of South Africa, Kohli was the leading run-scorer in the three-match Test series, which was played on pace friendly tracks. He now wants to implement the same thought process here in England.

"After the first two Tests in South Africa, I had no idea what was going on. My only focus was on my preparation and where the team has to head. If I waste my energy on all these things, I'm compromising on my mindset already.

"Because when I walk out to bat, I have the bat in hand. Not people who sit on the outside who write and predict things," Kohli mentioned.

Meanwhile, whether Kohli agrees or not, as a premier batsman in the world, Kohli would be keen to get some runs under his belt at this part of the world.

from SportsFlashes.com https://ift.tt/2LQ7ANK