JOIN USA chance to create momentum, says Kohli
Apart from the ongoing five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, India are scheduled to play a clutch of one-day matches at home with Australia, New Zealand and Lanka set to visit the country over the next few months.
It’s well known now that the Indian team management has earmarked this period as the time to identify the core of their ODI team ahead of the 2019 World Cup and Virat Kohli felt that the back to back series would help the team develop momentum going into a big event.
“Well it’s a great opportunity for us as a team to play limited overs cricket for a while,” Kohli agreed. “Last year and a half we haven’t played as much limited overs cricket, and maybe that’s the reason we haven’t been as consistent in the shorter formats. But this gives us an opportunity to create momentum like we have done in Test cricket. We have made a few changes already where the team’s wants to go as far as our fitness goals are concerned. And we want to have possibly the best fielding side on the park. That is one dynamic that will remain consistent,” he explained.
These series, Kohli felt, were particularly important for someone like MS Dhoni who doesn’t get to play international matches having retired from Tests.
“It helps someone like Dhoni also because he doesn’t play Test cricket anymore and this long streak of matches will help him to be in touch with the international games and finding some momentum and sticking to it. It goes for every player in the team. You want to find momentum in a season like this and make sure you carry it through with consistent performances. So it’s an opportunity for everyone in the team including MS to create good habits and sustain them over a period of time.”
The Indian skipper revealed that Axar Patel was picked ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as the former offered the team the depth in batting, besides being a good fielder. But going forward, Kohli felt, India wouldn’t shy away from playing two wrist spinners.
“It was a case of playing two left-armers that led us to not play Kuldeep in the first game,” he said. “Axar was favoured more than Kuldeep from the points of view that he bats quite well and he's a gun in the field also. Kuldeep has got opportunities in the past (in West Indies), (Yuzvendra) Chahal and Axar are guys who haven't got many opportunities so we want to test them out also. Kuldeep has played the last Test as well. It's all about giving opportunities to people which we feel will not hamper our plans in any way and at the same time it's about giving them exposure. You might see two wrist spinners playing together if we feel that we don't need that much depth in the batting,” he analysed.