Can never say you are set in England, have to put your ego in your pocket as a batsman: Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli admitted on the eve of the Headingley Test that the best place to keep your ego as a batter in England is your pocket. He revealed the many challenges of batting in English conditions, where, as per his belief, one cannot feel set despite having got into the 30s or 40s.

“You can never say in England that now you are set (on the pitch). You have to put your ego in your pocket. The conditions are not the same as it is in other places where you reach 30-40 and know that you can pick balls for your shots,” he said.

“You have to bat the same way you bat for your first 30 runs and then repeat the same template till it is possible. This discipline and patience are required in England.

Stressing upon the importance of patience as a key batting attribute in England, he stated, “If you are not patient in England, you can get out at any time, no matter how experienced you are or how many runs you have under your belt. You need good decision making because conditions in England are toughest in the world, in my opinion.”

We think we can beat anyone: Virat Kohli

Kohli, being at his upfront best, also slammed a question regarding this being India’s best chance to clinch wins in England, given the hosts’ withered and bruised unit. The hosts are without the services of their premier all-rounder Ben Stokes, who has been reeling with a finger injury ever since the IPL 2021 days, while he prioritized his mental health and announced an indefinite break from cricket recently.

In a rather long list, Stokes’ name is just one. England lost Stuart Broad for the entire series after he awkwardly landed on his feet in the lead-up to Lord’s Test, which England lost by 151 runs and hence trails 0-1, with three matches to go. Broad’s grade three calf tear is sufficient for him to be out of action until the Ashes, which is seemingly the case of Jofra Archer, whose recurring elbow injury has ejected him out of action for the year 2021.

Chris Woakes, with his heel bruise from the home series against Sri Lanka, remains unavailable, as does Mark Wood – for the third Test at least – after he injured his shoulder during day four of the Lord’s Test. There is also no Olly Stone, suffering issues with his back. Is this India’s best chance, then? It might be. But does Virat Kohli think like that? No.

“Does it depend on the strength of the opposition? Even when the key players were playing, we think we can beat anyone,” Kohli chided during a pre-match presser on the eve of the third Test.

“We do not wait for the opposition to be weak. So, I do not think that is the right question to ask a team that has been playing such good cricket over the last so many years. We do not depend on the opposition to be weak, that is not how we approach any series,” he said.