On the field it’s very professional against Pakistan: Kohli

With the ICC ODI World Cup getting underway in England and Wales in less than a week from now, the skippers of the 10 participating teams fighting for the biggest glory in 50-over cricket were all asked to pick one player from another team to fit into their own playing XI during the captains’ press conference in London on Thursday.

The comments from the captains made for some interestingread and showed what according to them, they lack in their squad as they lookto battle it out and win the showpiece event.

   

While host captain Eoin Morgan picked Australia’s assistantcoach Ricky Ponting, India captain Virat Kohli went for his South Africancounterpart Faf du Plessis. Pakistan skipper Safaraz Ahmed went for theswashbuckling Jos Buttler while Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza picked therun-machine Kohli.

For defending champions Australia, skipper Aaron Finchdidn’t seem too happy with his pacers and settled for Kagiso Rabada of SouthAfrica, while Faf himself decided to pick not one, but three in Jasprit Bumrah,Pat Cummins of Australia and Afghan spinner Rashid Khan.

Sri Lanka skipper Dimuth Karunaratne went with Englishall-rounder Ben Stokes while New Zealand captain Kane Williamson also went forRashid Khan. Interestingly, while the West Indies skipper Jason Holder saidthat he was happy with his team, his Afghan counterpart Gulbadin Naib said itall depends on the day.

Moving on, Kohli was asked about the high-voltage clashbetween India and Pakistan and the skipper made his position clear by sayingthat it was just another game when the players walk onto the field.

“I think India-Pakistan is always a much anticipatedmatch. We keep saying again and again. If you ask the players, it’s verydifferent from how the fans feel. Yes, we feel the anticipation and excitementwhen we enter the stadium. But as soon as you enter the field, it’s veryprofessional.

“It’s just another game you need to win as a team. Yes,it brings pressure because the atmosphere in the stadium is very different. Butas soon as we enter the ground, it’s a game of cricket for all of us. We keepsaying this again and again, but that’s the truth,” he said.

“In the World Cup, you first see the first four or fivegames you’re going to play. You play accordingly as a side. I don’t think wesingle out any team, all 10 teams are strong and can beat anyone. That makesthe tournament exciting. If we play good cricket, we’ll be in a good position.Every team will want to focus on their skills,” the India skipper said.

Kohli also spoke about how seamer Jofra Archer could be thedeciding factor for England in the World Cup.

“I think he’s going to be their X-factor because heholds a skill set that’s very different from anyone else. He can generate a lotof pace which can be very intimidating and you don’t really expect that becauseof his run-up. He’s a great athlete. He’s going to be exciting to watch in theWorld Cup and I’ll be watching him personally as well because whatever I’veseen of him has been very very exciting,” he said.

When told that Archer wants his wicket, Kohli said it wasnothing but a compliment. “Did he say that? I have no idea. That’s news tome. We don’t really focus on these things. You don’t focus on whether peoplewant to get you out and things like that. Our focus is mainly on contributingto the team. I take a lot of pride in performing for the team and making impactperformances.”If Jofra said that, it’s a huge complimentbecause he himself is a world class bowler. The way he has come about in theIPL and while playing around the world in the last two years, there is a goodreason for him to be fast-tracked to the World Cup,” the India skipperadded.

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