India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday said cricketers are "getting closer and closer to landing at the stadium and playing straight" as his team geared up for a clash against New Zealand in Auckland, less than a week after beating Australia at home.
India are set to take on New Zealand in a five-match T20 International series within five days of completing a home ODI assignment against Australia. Kohli said the short turnaround is tough given the busy international calendar.
“Well it’s definitely getting closer and closer to landing at the stadium and playing straight.”Virat Kohli, India captain
That's how compressed the game has become but I think this kind of travel and coming to a place, which is seven hours ahead of India time, is always difficult to adjust to immediately," Kohli told reporters on the eve of the first T20 in Auckland.
"So, I am sure these things will be taken into consideration much more in the future, yeah it is what it is, you can do whatever you can to get better and get on the park again, and that's international cricket for you today, it is back to back," he said.
On the upside, the skipper said the scheduling ensures that players are in the zone.
"The last series we played against Australia was ODIs so we spent more time on the field, but we played a few T20s before that. Having played a lot more cricket than just T20s in the last three games, we will find it easier to come here and play even though with less time (to prepare),” added the Indian skipper.
‘No Revenge in Mind, New Zealand Guys Are So Nice’
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli insisted that his team is not thinking of avenging the World Cup loss against New Zealand in the upcoming series which starts Friday with the first T20I at the Eden Park.
It were New Zealand who dumped India out of the 2019 World Cup with a thrilling win the semi-final in Manchester last July.
“Not really. Even if you want to think of revenge these guys (New Zealand) are so nice that you can’t get into that zone.”Virat Kohli, India captain
"It's all about being competitive on the field. They are one side that has set the right example for teams to carry themselves on the international stage. We were actually happy for them when they qualified for World Cup finals. When you have lost you have to look at the larger picture. So nothing about revenge," he added.
‘KL Rahul to Bat at Number 5’
The Indian skipper also made it clear that KL Rahul will continue to bat at No 5 in ODIs while in T20Is, he will bat at the top.
“In the ODIs, we will stick with Rajkot and let KL Rahul express himself at 5. In T20Is the dynamics change and let KL bat at the top. He’s doing well with gloves and that has given us more stability and we are looking to continue with him for a while.”Virat Kohli, India captain
"I know there will be a lot of talk about what happens to other players but for us, it's about what the team requires and the best balance of the side," he added.
Kohli also acknowledged the danger which the Kane Williamson-led side can pose at home, he said they will take the confidence from the previous victories over the Kiwis. The last time India travelled to New Zealand, they had won the ODI series 4-1. However, they suffered a 1-2 defeat in the three-match T20I series.
"In their conditions, they have always been very, very strong and you know what they bring to the table when playing in New Zealand. They know their conditions well and they understand the angles of the field and how the pitches play," Kohli said.
“They will have slight home advantage but having said that, we have played here a lot. Last time we came here we won both the series that we played. So, we are going to take that confidence into the series.”Virat Kohli, India captain
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)
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