On the eve of the third Test against England at Leeds, India skipper Virat Kohli said that his team is capable of beating even a full-strength English side in their own backyard.
Notably, England entered into the series without the services of injured Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes while Ben Stokes opted out in order to prioritize his mental wellbeing.
After the first Test, veteran pace Stuart Broad got ruled out of the remaining series due to calf injury and now speedster Mark Wood has also been ruled out of the third match owing to shoulder injury.
Kohli was left bemused when asked if this was the right time to go for the kill and clinch the series.
"Does it depend on the strength of the opposition? Even when the key players were playing, we think we can beat anyone," Kohli told a virtual news conference on Tuesday (August 24).
"We do not wait for the opposition to be weak. So, I do not think that is the right question to ask a team that has been playing such good cricket over the last so many years. We do not depend on the opposition to be weak, that is not how we approach any series."
The Indian captain also shared his assessment on batting in tough English conditions, saying it is important to keep one's ego in pocket.
"You can never say in England that now you are set (on pitch). You have to put your ego in your pocket. The conditions are not same as it is in other places where you reach 30-40 and know that you can pick balls for your shots," Kohli said.
"You have to bat the same way you bat for your first 30 runs and then repeat the same template till it is possible. This discipline and patience is required in England.
"If you are not patient in England you can get out at anytime, no matter how experienced you are or how many runs you have under your belt. You need good decision making because, conditions in England are toughest in the world, in my opinion," he further remarked.
None of the current Indian players have the experience of playing a Test match at Headingley – the venue for the third Test. However, Kohli is not worried about it.
"Look I am not an individual who likes to attach much importance to things that are on the outside for us. It's just a Test match that needs to be played against England, be at any stadium, anywhere in the world.
"So we just need to do what we need to do as a team. What has happened here, we are not focussed on that at all. All our energies are focussed on what we want to do as a team in the next five days," he said.
The Lord's Test saw verbal duels from both sides and Virat Kohli said the on-field provocation was good for the intensity of his side.
"I can't give you details of the words that was spoken. It was for camera and stump mic to pick that up for both teams. And then we analysed. What's done in the moment, give you extra motivation obviously to get together as a team more strongly.
"The details of which are not necessary to be discussed after (it happened) because when you play competitive sport these things happen but it's what you do after that situation or how you get up from that situation is what matters. For us this is fresh beginning, it's another opportunity to show what we can do as a team."
(With PTI inputs)
