Under-cooked middle-order doesn’t faze Kohli
In the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 so far, India’s top three of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have faced a total of 668 balls between them. All other batsmen combined have only encountered 151. In other words, the top three have faced more than 80 per cent of the deliveries in India’s march to the semi-final -- 81.56, to be exact.
That has left the middle-order undercooked in terms of game-time. But for Kohli, that was not a concern ahead of India’s semi-final against Bangladesh at Edgbaston. “Obviously as a batsman you want to finish off games, so you're not necessarily going to get out thinking my middle order hasn't got any game-time,” said the Indian captain on Wednesday, the eve of the match. “Given an opportunity, everyone would like to finish games convincingly. In the practice games, everyone has got a hit, and we know Kedar (Jadhav) and Hardik (Pandya) are playing really well at the moment, so we're not bothered at all. Rather, they're looking for an opportunity if the team is in a bit of trouble, I'm sure those two guys are going to step up and take the team through along with Ash (R Ashwin) and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) as well. Those guys are actually waiting for opportunities, and that's a great mindset to have. They're not sitting comfortable thinking, ‘Oh, these guys are going to do the job.’ They're actually prepared if a crisis situation comes in, they want to be the match-winners, and that's the energy they're creating.”
But even while confident in his own team’s abilities, Kohli steered well clear of over-confidence against the opponent, which is in the semi-final of an ICC tournament for the first time ever. “We've been in these kind of games before quite a few times, but there are no guarantees in this sport,” he explained. “As we've seen in the league stages as well, a lot of teams have surprised the opposition, and we're certainly not taking anything for granted. We're not going to go according to past results and what we've done in the past tournaments. Going into a big game like this, we're going to treat it how we treated the last game.”
Bangladesh has been on an upswing ever since its quarter-final appearance in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, and Kohli acknowledged that it was a dangerous side which could beat - and had beaten - top teams.
“It's no surprise anymore to anyone that they are doing really well, and they've really improved their cricket,” he said. “It's a credit to their setup and the kind of players they have now who are taking more responsibility. They are a very dangerous side on their day, and everyone realises that. You know, no one takes any opposition for granted, and Bangladesh have taken huge strides.
“They are in the top-eight sides in the world, so obviously they are playing really good cricket and they are doing a lot of things right to be in that position,” he added. “They have cricketers who are skilled, who are committed to play for Bangladesh and play with a lot of passion, and they're really keen to win a lot of games at this level, and that shows in their attitude. And even the other day, I thought they were outstanding the way they applied themselves and chased the total down (against New Zealand from 33 for 4) and they showed a lot of composure and patience. That is always a sign of a side that is mature now, that knows how to win matches from difficult situations. So yeah, they are a very competitive side.”
But while crediting the opposition, Kohli was delighted with his own team’s performance too, and harked back to the match-winning abilities that every new player brought to the side. India has now reached at least the semi-finals of the last five ICC events – the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, the ICC World T20 2014, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, the ICC World T20 2016, and now.
“I’m very happy that you spoke of reaching the semi-finals as also being consistent,” laughed Kohli when asked about the team’s run. “Back home, if India doesn’t win, it is looked at as a bad tournament. Obviously to reach the semi-final on such a big stage, you have to play good cricket, and we’re quite happy with our performances. We have always been good in limited-overs and had match-winning players. The new bunch that is coming in is also like that. That is a credit to the system also and to the players also, who bring in such a mindset that transition is never difficult, especially in limited-overs. Now too, the new players are just waiting for an opportunity to show the world that they can win matches too. If you have that mindset, you will always do well in big tournaments, because people need a stage to display their skill. And the joy of winning a match for your country is different.”
As to his own thoughts about preparing for a big match, Kohli said there was no change at all in his approach. “My thinking is always the same and I always try to get the team into a good position or to win the match,” he said. “My mindset doesn’t change. The way I think in an IPL or first-class game, it’s the same with India. It’s not like I need more motivation for knockout stages. I think the group stages in this tournament are more difficult. You have to qualify playing against three opponents. Once you get into the knockout stage, the team goes into a different zone. Eventually, you have to go out and play cricket, and just keep it simple. I haven’t planned anything special as such for this game.”
Kohli might not have planned anything special, but if he does something special, India will set up a dream final against a resurgent Pakistan. And that might need the match-winning abilities of everyone who hasn’t had a chance to shine to come to the fore.