Home Cricket IND Vs ENG| Ready For Anything That Comes Our Way; Challenging To Play With Pink-Ball, Reckons Virat Kohli

IND Vs ENG| Ready For Anything That Comes Our Way; Challenging To Play With Pink-Ball, Reckons Virat Kohli

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IND Vs ENG| Ready For Anything That Comes Our Way; Challenging To Play With Pink-Ball, Reckons Virat Kohli

Amidst the talks of the conditions and the pink-ball, Virat Kohli has stated that the Indian team are ready for anything that comes their way, including swing, seam and spin. While stating that it’s challenging to face the pink-ball, he insisted that India’s bowling attack will trouble England.

Two Tests into the series, India and England are locked at 1-1 ahead of the highly-anticipated pink-ball Test, where the ball often swings and swerves early on. While the pitch and the conditions on offer are going to naturally offer more turn, with the pitch deteriorating, the pink-ball factor could be an added incentive for the pacers to strike early on in the innings, when the pink-ball is shiny and new.

Opening up on the conditions, Indian skipper Virat Kohli insisted that the Indian team is ready for any challenge that comes their way, be it spin, swing or even seam bowling from the visitors. On the split side, Kohli also admitted that it is more challenging to face the pink-ball than the red-ball that is used normally in Test cricket.

“Not really bothered about what the strengths and weaknesses of the English team are. We have beaten them in their home as well, where the ball does way more and hold them out every time so we’re not really bothered with that. It’s just about playing well as a team,” said Kohli in the online press conference, reported TOI.

“And yeah, there are many, many weaknesses in the opposition side as well, if you are keen to exploit them. If it’s a seamer-friendly track for them it’s for us as well. And we probably have, you know, among other teams, the best bowling attack in the world so we’re not really bothered by what the ball might bring differently to the table. We’re ready for anything that comes our way,” he asserted.

However, the Indian skipper also stated that as a batting unit, the real challenge would be to start and construct your innings under the lights, a period often described as deadly in the pink-ball Tests.

“It is much more challenging to play with pink ball regardless of the pitch you play on. Especially in the evening, if as a batting team, you are starting your innings under lights then that one and a half hour is very challenging,” he said.

With the game being played in Ahmedabad, where like in Chennai, there is black-soil, naturally, the ball will grip and turn after the first day’s play. Kohli admitted that there will turn and bounce for the spinners but reckoned that the pink-ball factor will also keep the pacers in the game, unlike in Chennai.

“Yes spin will come into play for sure but I don’t think the new ball and fast bowlers can be ignored. The pink ball does bring them into the game till the ball is nice and shiny, something we are very well aware of and preparing accordingly,” added Kohli.