‘India must prepare for tough situations’

NEW DELHI: Following his team’s nine-wicket defeat to South Africa in the third and final T20I in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli, the India captain, said that the team wants to prepare itself for challenging situations in the future by minimising the impact of the toss.

Despite the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium’s reputation for being a chasing paradise — teams batting first had won four of the six T20Is played here previously — Kohli decided to bat first on Sunday.

Explaining his decision, the skipper said: “The idea was to come out of our comfort zones. We felt that we’ve been 20-30 runs short while batting first in T20 cricket in the past and that has cost us games. So we wanted to bat first and try to put up a big score. After the start we got, being 63-1, we could’ve reassessed it to about 170 rather than thinking of 200, but we kept on losing wickets. “Not to take anything away from South Africa. They understood the pitch and hit the right areas. So it was a combination of good bowling and not great decision-making.”

Kohli has been witness to these issues during crunch situations in the past. In the final and semi-final of the previous two editions of the ICC World T20, India failed to defend totals after being put in to bat by the opposition. With the next iteration of the tournament just a year away, Kohli said that the team needed more exposure to defending totals.

“You have to take risks to win a game of cricket, nothing is a given before you start playing,” said the Indian skipper. “If we’re willing to get out of our comfort zone a lot more, then we’ll be unfazed by what happens at the toss. Our basic idea is to try and take the toss out of equation, and hence we’re trying to play the best combination we can, having people who can bat till No 9, so we’re in a good position whether we bat or bowl.

“Mentally, if we put ourselves in a situation where we’re ready to do anything, we’ll be in a better position to deal with different situations.”

The focus now shifts to the three-match Test series, the first of which will be played in Visakhapatnam from October 2. “Our Test team is as strong as it gets. Especially in our conditions, we are one of the best teams around,” Kohli said.

“Our bowling attack makes it challenging for other teams. But then you got to respect the opposition and make sure that you’re playing consistent and solid cricket in all the sessions. Beginning of a home season is a different kind of excitement and everyone is looking forward to it.”