Bon Voyage

Mumbai, May 21

High quality rivals competing in a round-robin format has made the upcoming World Cup the “most challenging” for India skipper Virat Kohli, who says maintaining intensity from the first ball will be key to his side’s fortunes in the showpiece event.

Kohli, who has competed in two World Cups before, said the team does not have much breathing space because they have four tough games upfront, though in a way it should help them. For the first time since the 1992 edition, all the teams will play each other once to decide the semifinalists. After opening their campaign against South Africa on June 5, India will take on Australia (June 9), New Zealand (June 13) and Pakistan (June 16).

“Personally, it will probably be the most challenging World Cup I have been part of because of the format and also the strength of all the teams. If you look at Afghanistan from 2015 to now, they are a completely different side,” said Kohli at the pre-departure press conference.

Easy to upset

“Any team can upset anyone. That is one thing we have in mind. Focus will be on to play the best cricket that we can. You have to play to the best of your potential in every game because it is not a group stage situation. Playing everyone once is great for all the teams in my view. It is going to be a different challenge and every team will have to adapt quickly to,” added Kohli.

Talking about his side’s first four games, Kohli said, “That sets the tone nicely for us. Everyone will have to be at their best and maintain intensity from the first match onwards. You don’t have any room for complacency and that is why it is the World Cup and the most important tournament. We expect that kind of pressure from the first second we step on the field. We are not going to let ourselves think that ‘first week onwards we will get into it’.”

“You have to arrive on the day match-ready with hundred percent match intensity and start building from there,” he added. “This is the challenge. If you look at all the top clubs in football they maintain their intensity for three-four months whether in Premier League or La Liga. So why not? If we get on a roll and we maintain our consistency we should be able to do it for the length of the tournament.”

High-scoring games

The recent series between Pakistan and England saw 340-plus scores being the norm but Kohli said things could change in the quadrennial tournament. “As I said, the pitches are going to be very good. It is summer and the conditions are going to be nice. We expect high-scoring games but a bilateral series can’t be compared to a Word Cup, it is very different,” he said. “So we might also see 260-270 kind of games and teams defending it because of the pressure factor. We expect all kinds of scenarios in the World Cup.”

More than the conditions, his team will have to come out on top in high-pressure situations, said the skipper. “It is always good to go to any place in advance. You are right, it does (help) getting rid of the nerves you might have as a side going into the World Cup,” the captain said. “White-ball cricket in England, playing an ICC event, the conditions are not that difficult compared to Tests. Handling the most pressure is the most important thing in the World Cup and not necessarily the conditions.”

Bowlers ready

Kohli said his highly-rated bowling line-up is ready for the challenge. “All the bowlers in the squad, even in the IPL, they were preparing themselves for 50-overs cricket. You saw all the guys bowling, no one looked tired after bowling four overs,” he said. “They were very fresh. The ultimate goal at the back of their mind was always to be fit for the 50-overs format and not necessarily let the fitness come down and that was communicated to them before the IPL started.” 

Kohli himself learnt a lot as captain in the IPL, where his team lost the first six games. “We literally came to a point where we said to each other that ‘this has not happened to anyone before’. So I realised that after a certain stage things are not in your control, so you have to accept that and work things accordingly,” concluded the captain. — PTI

Not competing with Hardik: Vijay Shankar

New Delhi: Willing to bat at No. 4 if asked, all-rounder Vijay Shankar (in pic) says he is not competing with Hardik Pandya for a slot in India’s XI during the World Cup. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has been projected as a possible candidate for the No. 4 slot after some impressive performances for India during the tour of New Zealand early this year. His and Pandya’s strength areas are completely different, and perhaps that is the reason he feels he is not in a race with Pandya. “I don’t think I am competing with Hardik. Yes, we are all-rounders but we are different from each other. And why do we need to compete? It would be great if both of us can contribute in India’s win,” Shankar said. — PTI