LONDON: Captain Virat Kohli has urged India to produce a repeat of their Pakistan demolition when they face Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy here at The Oval on Thursday.
Kohli’s side made a memorable start to the tournament as the defending champions crushed arch rivals Pakistan by 124 runs in Birmingham on Sunday.
It was the perfect response to reports of a rift between Kohli and the team’s coach Anil Kumble.
Kohli knows momentum can change quickly in ODI competitions, especially against a desperate Sri Lanka team looking to bounce back from defeat to South Africa in their opener.
But Kohli hopes the confidence boost from beating Pakistan will help India secure another victory in their second Group ‘B’ match.
“Every game in this tournament is big, but we have a side with a few youngsters coming in and gradually getting towards strengthening their careers for India,” he said.
“So I think from that, from the team’s point of view, it [Pakistan] is a massive win for us.
“Just the way we played and the confidence we showed throughout the game was something that was very pleasing to see as a captain.
“Even though we lost the toss, guys were raring and ready to go, willing to take up the pressure.
“That gave all of us the confidence to start striking the ball well, but initially the openers gave us a good start as well.
“As I said, it’s a clinical performance from us, from the team’s point of view, yes, it is indeed a very big win,” the Indian captain added.
Kohli, meanwhile, backed Hardik Pandya to showcase his credentials as the future of Indian cricket with another swashbuckling display against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Pandya, the 23-year-old all-rounder, underscored his rapid emergence by making a bright start to his country’s Champions Trophy campaign. In an indication of the level of respect he is already held in by Kohli, Pandya was prompted up the batting order ahead of M.S. Dhoni and responded by smashing 20 not out of just six balls against Pakistan. Pandya then chipped in with two key wickets as India launched their title defence with a resounding win.
“He [Pandya] is a real asset to Indian cricket. It’s very hard to find someone who can almost touch 140ks and who strikes the way he does,” Kohli told a press conference at The Oval on Wednesday.
Kohli however wants his team to guard against complacency on the eve of the match against Sri Lanka.
“At the moment we are playing some good cricket, but that doesn’t mean that we play with arrogance,” he said.
“We respect every opposition the same way, and we intend to play the same kind of cricket against everyone.”
Beaten by 96 runs by South Africa, there is no margin for error for Sri Lanka as they try to avoid elimination.
Adding insult to injury, Sri Lanka were later found guilty of a slow over-rate offence by the ICC, with their stand-in captain Upul Tharanga banned for their next two matches, and players fined.
Angelo Mathews is set to resume captaincy duties after returning to fitness from the calf muscle injury that ruled him out of the South Africa match.
“The whole team is responsible. Whoever the captain is, we have to back him and try to support him in the field,” Mathews said.
“The captain has to do so many other things and stuff to work on. We have addressed in the past as well, but it cropped up again.
“It’s so unfortunate to see Upul going out as he is a crucial player in our set up.”
But the Sri Lanka captain hopes being written off will allow his team to play with enough freedom to spring a surprise.
“People will want India to come in and thrash us, and it’s just all the pressure is off us,” Mathews told a press conference at The Oval on Wednesday.
“We are happy to walk in as the underdogs. I mean, no one really expects us to win the championship. Which takes a lot of pressure out of the guys.”
Meanwhile, Sri Lankan batsman Chamara Kapugedera faces a nervous wait to discover if his Champions Trophy campaign is over after suffering an injury in practice on Wednesday.Mathews revealed Kapugedera has gone for a scan to determine the extent of the problem, with a potential replacement on stand-by to come into the squad.
“Yeah he just got injured at training, so we sent him for an MRI scan,” Mathews said. “We are waiting for the doctor’s report. If need be, we might have to bring in a replacement.”
Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2017