Momentum is with us: Kohli

Virat Kohli said he did not look at the tournament as though it was any different from the events that India participated in the last three months. “Our biggest strength will be to not look at it as a new tournament but to keep our momentum going,” he said. “At home people come to you and say ‘we must win’; we expect and understand that playing in India. 

It’s important to not get carried away, staying calm is important,” he added. “We obviously are our own favourites but it’s important to focus game by game.” Kohli recalled his position in 2011 when he was playing his first World Cup. “I had anxiety in 2011 to establish myself, so it might be the case with players like (Hardik) Pandya and (Jasprit) Bumrah but they are very confident,” he said. “I see a big stage as an opportunity rather than pressure.” 

Talking about the playing eleven, Kohli said it was difficult to change a winning combination though there are quite a few options available. “Shami has done really well whenever he has played regularly for us, we all were waiting for him to come back. It’s difficult to change a combination that has worked for you so well, but then you have to assess the situation and conditions before selecting an XI. The captain and team management will sit down and decide,” he said. 

The vice-captain was also happy with the openers in the T20 challenges. “Dhawan’s role is to go out and take on the bowlers; I and Rohit [Sharma] try to assess the situation and play accordingly,” he said. “Your skill and concentration is tested the most in T20s...We are pretty confident having won 10 of last 11 games but this is going to be far more challenging,” he added.