MUMBAI: For a while now, an underlying sentiment - that head coach Ravi Shastri is captain Virat Kohli's 'yes man' - has prevailed overwhelmingly much to the vexation of the entire Team India camp. On Thursday, as the Indian team got ready to take a long flight to Australia, Kohli found the time and the occasion to set the record straight.
READ ALSO: No more chopping and changing, says Ravi Shastri
"It is the most bizarre thing that I have heard. I don't think there is anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket, honestly. Because he is the one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he will tell me something that doesn't need to be done. I have brought more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past," Kohli said at the team's pre-departure address to the media.
The captain firmly believes that Shastri's major contribution - in his capacity as coach - has been in making the players believe that they belong at this (international) level. "I can vouch for it because at a time when we all went through a really difficult time in England in 2014, he played an important role, for me to be able to come out of that shell. A lot of other players - for instance, Shikhar Dhawan in 2015 - can vouch for that as well. To get the best out of the players - he is the most important factor as far as that is concerned," Kohli added.
Setting aside all the chatter about what the head coach needs to bring to the table, the skipper then shifted focus on what is clearly going to be the third of the three big overseas challenges India were going to face this year.
Improved contributions from the middle and lower order; greater focus and consistency; and individuals taking more responsibility are the three elements Kohli emphasised on, as India prepares for yet another tough battle Down Under.
"At the top (batting order), it can get difficult. Guys are bowling a good spell and it's really tough. It gets relatively easier for the middle-order. And the lower-order contributions are crucial. We saw in England, their lower-order contributions were much better than ours and that was the difference in the series. That's where we want guys to be fearless. If they get going, they can change the whole course of the game or the series. That's something we need to tighten up on, especially after England," says the skipper.
Where bringing in a larger amount of focus is concerned, Kohli says, off the field, things are explained in a proper manner and people are told what needs to be done in a situation. "But, when on the field, it becomes a different ballgame. No one can tell me what shot I need to play. Or no one can tell me what decisions I make every ball I play because out there, I'm alone. At that very moment, I think the focus has to be really precise on what the team wants," says the skipper.
Any series against Australia will have its heated moments and the last two series have been intense to say the least. With David Warner and Steve Smith still serving bans for ball tampering and the Australians trying to embrace a new culture of no sledging, how does Kohli see things panning out this time? "When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely OK playing without an altercation," Kohli stressed. "I have enough belief in my ability to play without a reason to pump myself up. If they want to play a certain way we will reciprocate in that way, that's how the game of cricket goes," Kohli added.
READ ALSO: No more chopping and changing, says Ravi Shastri
"It is the most bizarre thing that I have heard. I don't think there is anyone who has said no to me more than him in Indian cricket, honestly. Because he is the one guy I can speak to and get an honest opinion and he will tell me something that doesn't need to be done. I have brought more changes to my game listening to him than anyone else in the past," Kohli said at the team's pre-departure address to the media.
The captain firmly believes that Shastri's major contribution - in his capacity as coach - has been in making the players believe that they belong at this (international) level. "I can vouch for it because at a time when we all went through a really difficult time in England in 2014, he played an important role, for me to be able to come out of that shell. A lot of other players - for instance, Shikhar Dhawan in 2015 - can vouch for that as well. To get the best out of the players - he is the most important factor as far as that is concerned," Kohli added.
Setting aside all the chatter about what the head coach needs to bring to the table, the skipper then shifted focus on what is clearly going to be the third of the three big overseas challenges India were going to face this year.
Improved contributions from the middle and lower order; greater focus and consistency; and individuals taking more responsibility are the three elements Kohli emphasised on, as India prepares for yet another tough battle Down Under.
"At the top (batting order), it can get difficult. Guys are bowling a good spell and it's really tough. It gets relatively easier for the middle-order. And the lower-order contributions are crucial. We saw in England, their lower-order contributions were much better than ours and that was the difference in the series. That's where we want guys to be fearless. If they get going, they can change the whole course of the game or the series. That's something we need to tighten up on, especially after England," says the skipper.
Where bringing in a larger amount of focus is concerned, Kohli says, off the field, things are explained in a proper manner and people are told what needs to be done in a situation. "But, when on the field, it becomes a different ballgame. No one can tell me what shot I need to play. Or no one can tell me what decisions I make every ball I play because out there, I'm alone. At that very moment, I think the focus has to be really precise on what the team wants," says the skipper.
Any series against Australia will have its heated moments and the last two series have been intense to say the least. With David Warner and Steve Smith still serving bans for ball tampering and the Australians trying to embrace a new culture of no sledging, how does Kohli see things panning out this time? "When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, or in a fight as people want to call it excitedly, I have been completely OK playing without an altercation," Kohli stressed. "I have enough belief in my ability to play without a reason to pump myself up. If they want to play a certain way we will reciprocate in that way, that's how the game of cricket goes," Kohli added.
Source : timesofindia[dot]indiatimes[dot]com
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