We're more confident in our abilities now: Kohli
The margin was a whopping 304 runs, victory was achieved inside four days, but that doesn’t really tell the full story. India had to toil extremely hard to go 1-0 up in the three-Test series in Sri Lanka, the resistance coming not so much from the home side as from the Galle International Stadium pitch that played totally out of character.
“Yes, the last time when we played here, the surface offered much more to the bowlers. It kept the bowlers in the game throughout, the quicks and the spinners more so,” said Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, on Saturday evening.
“This time around, the wicket was really good to bat on even ‘til today. I mean, if you applied yourself, you could easily score runs on that surface. So, yeah, we had to work hard to get all the wickets that we did. I think the bowlers came up with different plans, persisted with those plans long enough to get those breakthroughs and that’s something that always helps at the beginning of a series. To get a victory on a surface which is not offering much, that really gives the team the confidence of doing it once more if we get a surface like that.”
India was playing its first Test since the end of March in Dharamsala against Australia and while, typically, Kohli said there was plenty of scope for improvement, he did admit that the team had ticked most of the boxes. “Yeah, we would like to think so,” he agreed. “There are still some areas that we want to look back and try to improve upon; especially when you get four-five wickets and not letting the lower order to get away with a few runs in the latter half of the innings. It’s something that we can still identify and work on in the next two games as well.
“But all in all, I think, playing Test cricket – March is the last when we last played Test cricket – and from then having played so much one-day cricket and not having the time to prepare so much in between … I think from that point of view, it was good to get back into the groove and do things that are supposed to be done to win a Test match. From that point of view, I feel we had a pretty good game. I won’t say that we don’t have areas that we look to improve on; as I mentioned before there are things that we can still improve on, but very happy with the performance.”
Kohli has often pointed to the 63-run loss in Galle in 2015 after India dominated the first three days as a turning point of sorts for his young team. “At that time, it was more of talking a lot about plans and planning a lot about how to go a certain way against a certain player. Now I think the guys are very comfortable with their skills and how they have to bowl and where they have to bowl and what fields they want,” he said, as he traced the evolution of the team. “That is the biggest change that I see. They are more confident in their own abilities because of having performed consistently in the last two years.
“Plus, they know what they have to do on the pitch to get people out now, which is the most important factor. Especially in Test matches, if you are not getting wickets, then how to contain runs or how to create opportunities to get wickets. Even batsmen have become smarter now. You don’t need to necessarily tell someone how to bat or how to plan an innings. They understand, they prepare themselves really well, the guys have become more professional in the last two years and they understand how Test matches are won. That understanding of the game is something that has come along a long way in the last two years.”
Kohli was effusive in his praise of Hardik Pandya, saying the Baroda man had the potential to become India’s answer to Ben Stokes. “When you play away from home, one guy gives you a lot of balance and I think Hardik can be that guy going ahead, specially playing so much cricket away from home,” said the skipper of the debutant allrounder who made a fifty in his first hit in Test cricket. “If he grows in confidence – you see someone like Ben Stokes, what he does for England. He brings in great balance as an allrounder. I see no reason why Hardik Pandya can’t become that for India.”
Practically laughing off suggestions that a win like this could settle whatever nerves there might have been in the dressing room after the change of head coach, Kohli said, “It's another Test match for us. The nerves being built up or the panic being created was all on the outside. Inside the change room, the atmosphere is absolutely the same. We've just done what we've done in the past two years on a consistent basis. And we've just gone out there and focused on the game. That's all you think of doing and that's all that we're going to do in the future.”
There was commiseration for the opponent, Kohli not agreeing that Sri Lanka had caved in meekly. “I don’t think they were reckless at any stage,” he offered. “There were a few unfortunate dismissals. If you see (Upul) Tharanga’s dismissal in the first innings (run out after smart work by Abhinav Mukund). Angelo (Mathews) was going well, he really hit that ball well. It could have gone anywhere, it just went straight into my hands (at short extra-cover). These things happen in the sport.
“Obviously, as an opposition, if you are playing good cricket, you will capitalise on those situations and that’s why we are where we are in the rankings or in the way we are playing at the moment as well because we are able to capitalise in those situations and really put more pressure on the opposition. We are waiting for opportunities. When we get one, we really squeeze hard and try to get two-three more and that’s how you win Test matches. We have created that habit and now everyone knows that once you get a little opportunity, then you really put more pressure on the opposition. I would say that we really executed our plans well to force the opposition to make mistakes regularly.”
