COLOMBO: Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli says his team is well-equipped to bounce back against Sri Lanka and the players are "hungry and keen to perform" in the second Test starting on Thursday.
India suffered a shock defeat in the first Test in Galle despite dominating the series-opener for a major part.
"We definitely have it in us to bounce back. There is no point thinking about or living in the past. More often than not, if you dominate six sessions, it means that you are on top in the Test match and you should be able to win the game but that wasn't the case," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.
"But the preparation has been pretty good for this particular Test match. This is a learning curve, and the guys will learn how to get over defeats and prepare for the next one. The good thing is everyone is hungry and keen to perform. The guys understood that things need to be forgotten and they were pretty professional," he said.
Murali Vijay, nursing a hamstring injury, is expected to be fully fit for the second Test as he batted for a long while in the nets. Kohli was hopeful that the opener will make it to the playing XI.
"We will know today if he is hundred percent fit to play or not. His rehab program is going well under Patrick Farhart who is our new physio. Hopefully he is fully fit. If he wants to play and is keen then I am sure he can go through whatever discomfort he might have to go through. We will have to take that call but we are pretty certain that he is most probably going to play tomorrow," said Kohli.
The Indian skipper also showed intent of fielding all-rounder Stuart Binny, who was added to the squad recently.
"We have got Stuart Binny because his bowling gives us balance. His batting at number six will help us too. We will look at the wicket tomorrow. But I feel that even if you don't have five full-time bowlers, the fifth has to be one who can bowl 10-15 overs. It is very helpful in certain situations.
"Bringing in Stuart gives us the option of a third seamer. You need to make a call on the bowling attack thinking how the wicket will turn out to be during the course of the game. You just can't get excited on the first day of play about a certain combination and then feel like maybe you should have played someone else. These things need to be looked at kept and we will keep our options open," he added.
Talking more about Binny's utility to the Indian side, the skipper added, "I saw him bat in Zimbabwe and I have seen him bat in England. Once he gains in confidence he is a pretty solid batsman. He has good technique as well. If the wicket is a bit helpful or you need control through the innings, Stuart comes handy in those situations. So I think Stuart brings a lot to the table and it is about him getting more confidence in his abilities."
"As a batsman I think he has become more confident. As a bowler I think he will certainly improve with more games that he plays and the more he is given those spells."
There was grass on the P Sara Oval wicket on Tuesday but it had been shaved off by the time the Indian team got to practice on Wednesday. It could be a slow turner once again, but bounce is one of its key characteristics at this ground.
"I saw Pakistan play and here the ball was carrying through nicely and it had something for the fast bowlers so we will have to sit and figure out," said Kohli about the wicket.
It will be interesting to see how the team moves on from the Galle debacle. They have come very close to winning on all the foreign tours recently, but have only managed to close out the one win at Lord's last year.
"It is a very strange thing to explain..... Some things are not in your control and that is where mental strength comes in. That is one aspect that we have touched upon in Galle. The guys need to be brave. It is very easy to go into a negative space very quickly. Teams that stay is a positive space, or individuals that stay in the positive space, turn the game around.
"It has been a concern because we have been on the verge of victory so many times away from home. You can mention things, you can put it out there but I cannot bowl for a particular guy and a particular person cannot bat for me. When I am in the middle, it is up to me what I decide to do and what my mental frame is like. That needs to be improved on individually," he added.
Kohli has enjoyed a lot of success as a batsman in the four Tests that he has led but he is yet to taste victory as captain. Going into this all-important contest, he refused to acknowledge that this is something playing on his mind.
"It's never a nice feeling when you lose. But I don't connect the two. I like to bat the way I have always batted and after a few early games in my career, I haven't really sat down and remembered when there has been a crunch situation and I have played a bad shot. So I think me getting four centuries in four games is irrelevant to me becoming captain.
"Coincidentally it has happened that I have got the same number of hundreds in same number of games. But I would rather have the team perform well and win the games rather than get frustrated that as a batsman I am getting runs but we are not getting the results," he said.
© timesofindia
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