Our batsmen are good enough to tackle any pace and bounce: Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has shown full confidence on his side ahead of the second Test which begins on Saturday in Jamaica. The visitors took a 1-0 lead in the four-Test series after beating the hosts by an innings and 92 runs in Antigua.

A green wicket is to be laid out for the match but, Kohli feels that the Indian team is good enough to tackle such kind of challenges. The Sabina Park has a clean record for bringing result there have been no draws at this venue since 1998.

“We’re not focussing on the opposition too much but we are happy that the wicket is going to have some bounce and carry. There was decent enough bounce in Antigua for us to exploit whatever help was there. Jamaica is going to be even better. It’s a result-oriented ground and we’re quite excited about it. We’ve got good pace, the bowlers are bowling good areas,” Kohli said.

“We believe that our batsmen are good enough to tackle any pace and bounce that West Indies’ bowlers have. The plan is to go out there and play with the determination and focus that we showed in the first game. Obviously, we need to be wary of the conditions a bit more because it is a ground that is result oriented,” Kohli said.

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“It’s not overcast conditions and a green pitch where you will compromise on one spinner. You know that when the wicket dries up it will start turning and there is good bounce so the spinners will come into play,” Kohli said.

“For that, we have to have all bases covered for us to take 10 wickets in the second innings also. We need to have a good balance of spinners and fast bowlers for us to get a result. And that’s what we had in the first game. As I said, when you win there’s not that much room for change unless the conditions are drastically different, which they are not,” he added.

India were made to make one change in the squad after Murali Vijay was ruled out of the game due to a thumb injury. The skipper ruled out too many changes to his playing eleven, except Rahul replacing Vijay.

“Rahul has been in a very good zone. He scored runs in the practice games, he scored in Zimbabwe and he had a great IPL season. I think that was the turnaround for confidence as far as he’s concerned. Last year, he had a good tour to Sri Lanka, got a hundred there, but again he didn’t play against South Africa,” Kohli said.

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“It’s more a case of a guy waiting for an opportunity. He wants to play. He’s batting really well and wants to make it count. He wants to get big runs. I’m confident of his abilities. He’s pretty compact, he’s a solid opener and he’s a great fielder as well. He gives you that wicket-keeping option as well, in case something happens to Saha,” said Kohli.

“Obviously, when you take a big squad away from home, it’s always great to have the players that we have on the bench, knowing that if anything happens to anyone or if someone’s not being able to execute what he wants on the field, we still have options that are world-class,” he said.

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“If you see Rohit, Bhuvneshwar, and Jadeja, all three are world-class cricketers. They have amazing skill sets. It’s always pleasing for a captain knowing that you can play with freedom of playing the best eleven that you have, but at the same time you have options,” Kohli said.

“There’s not much room to change when you’ve won the first game, knowing that the fast bowlers have done the job. There’s good bounce in this wicket. The last time we played a Test here, in 2011, Mishra and Harbhajan both got good turn and bounce. So the spinner can’t be left out of the game. There is a second innings as well and we need to understand that.”