On the eve of the Day-Night Test against England in Ahmedabad, India skipper Virat Kohli said he isn’t bothered by what the pink ball brings to the table and backed his bowlers to exploit the weakness of the visiting side.
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India have so far staged only one Day-Night Test and it was against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in November 2019, in which the hosts outclassed their neighbours by an innings and 46 runs inside three days.
During their second pink ball Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, India got bowled out for their lowest-ever total of 36 to succumb to an eight-wicket defeat.
"By doing what we are doing for years now, that is play good cricket (how to ensure hosts don't give an inch to the visiting team). Our focus solely remains on our team. I am not really bothered about what the strength and weaknesses of the English team are. We have beaten them in their home as well where the ball does way more movement. It's just about playing well as a team and yes there are many weaknesses in the visiting side as well and we are keen to exploit them," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference while replying to a query from ANI.
"If the track is seamer-friendly for them it is for us as well and we probably have the best bowling attack in the world among other teams. So not really bothered by what the ball might bring to the table. We are ready for anything that comes our way," he added.
In 2018, England were also dismissed for 58 during a Day-Night Test against New Zealand. But Kohli is not reading too much into either of 36 or 58 all-out.
"Both are bizarre experiences for two quality sides. If you asked England the same question (that would you be bowled out for 58), their answer will be no. You understand on that particular day things are bound to happen in a certain way. Things are out of your control and nothing seems to go right and that's what exactly happened to us in Adelaide. Barring our 45 minutes of bad cricket we dominated the first Test against Australia," the Indian captain said.
"We are confident about how we played the pink-ball Test even in Australia. These are experiences from which you learn it's not something like a mental scar or anything as we did bounce back well in the Test series," he further remarked.
Last week, India levelled the four-match Test series 1-1 with an emphatic 317-run win in the second Test at Chepauk.
Keeping in mind the ICC World Test Championship final, the remaining two Tests between India and England hold great significance.
While the hosts need to win at least one more match and draw the other if they are to qualify for the final, England ought to win both the remaining games.
(With ANI inputs)
