From the very first match of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, ‘ruthlessness’ has been Virat Kohli’s common refrain. When he was asked to lead the team, Virat had a goal in mind. He wanted Team India to make winning a habit and not give an inch to the opposition.
With his second 5-0 ODI series in as a captain Virat has been successful in setting the trend of ruthlessness. When he singlehandedly snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with one of his characteristic centuries in Ranchi, Virat had walked the talk. His unbeaten 139 snapped all fight out of the Lankans and fashioned India’s three-wicket win.
After the game, the captain spoke of the need to lead by example if he wanted his men to follow suit.
“From the first match I have spoken about creating a culture of ruthlessness and winning habit in the team, and it has come off beautifully,” Virat said. “It’s not easy to achieve a whitewash, especially against a subcontinent team in the subcontinent.
“If I ask the guys to be ruthless while being lazy myself, I’ll look stupid at the end of the day. Especially in a young team, the guys who are experienced have to lead the way. In a team, negativity can spread really quickly. You see two heads falling and six more will fall.
“The more the young guys see this kind of performances and know that the intent and aggression is coming from the top, they would want to follow. So, I, as the captain of the team, need to be at that intensity level first before asking anyone else to be there. It’s a conscious effort I have to make and it’s not that hard for me because I have always played my cricket like that,” Virat said.
While eventually India achieved the 288-run target with eight balls to spare, there was a time when the chances of victory looked bleak. Even as Virat was well set and looked in control with the bat, he was left helpless, standing at one end and watching his partners change ever so frequently at the other. Between the 35th and 45th over, Virat faced only 16 balls and saw three wickets fall.
He admitted it was a rather frustrating situation to be in. “It would be wrong if I said it is not frustrating. It’s one thing when your partner is hitting the ball well and you’re not getting the strike. But knowing that you’ve lost three-four batsmen at the other end without getting the strike is frustrating,” he said.
“That was the reason I batted at No. 4 in this series. You need someone who has batted in such situations and knows what needs to be done. I knew what I had to do at that time, which was stay calm, knock the ball around for singles.”
However, when he did get the strike, in the 46th over, Virat wasted no time in getting on with the job. He struck Ajantha Mendis for a six and a four, all the while keeping his head calm. He said the ability to make these decisions in crunch times comes with experience.
“Later on it is all about what your instincts tell you to do. Even with seven down I went after Mendis because we needed 41 from the last four overs and I knew that had to be the over to hit out. These are the decisions you learn to make with experience of playing a lot of games. I am glad I was out there well set, otherwise it was a difficult situation.
“It was a test for the boys who are new to such situations and they will only learn. As long as we keep learning from the mistakes that have been made, it’s all good,” he said.
When asked whether he will continue to bat at No. 4 in ODIs, Virat said it depended on the strength of the middle-order at a given time and where his contribution would benefit the team the most.
“As long as we are strengthened in the middle order, I don’t see any reason to keep batting at 4. I have scored most of my centuries and won most of the games for the team at No. 3.
“As long as I can play in the same way I did today batting at 3 as well, I don’t mind batting at either position because I am comfortable at both. Whatever my gut-feel tells me and what the team requires off me will decide my batting position. But I am sort of learning to bat at other positions as well.”
India used this series to test out a few young players, giving them more responsibilities and bigger roles. Ambati Rayudu batted at 3 regularly and scored 250 runs at 62.50. Axar Patel emerged as the highest wicket-taker with 11 scalps an impressive average of 18.09 and played two match-winning 14-run cameos with the bat. Virat was all praise for the two.
“I am very happy, especially with the way Rayudu batted throughout the series and the way Axar bowled and responded in difficult situations,” he said.
“For me, what Axar did in Cuttack was more astonishing because to go out there and hit those two sixes off low full-tosses – I don’t think even I can hit low full-tosses for sixes, especially if they are the first two balls I am facing – that was more a statement of his character than his innings today.
“Today he was listening to what I was telling him. If a guy knows how to bat, he can listen to the more experienced guy and do what is required. But in Cuttack there was no one out there with him. That spoke a lot about the cricketer, his mindset and character. Hopefully, if he continues to show that kind of composure, he will be preferred over some of the other guys. I am really happy for him and hopefully we will see him bat up the order in the future.
“What I like about him as a bowler is his self confidence. Even if I want to put seven fielders in the ring, he will never say no. He knows he can bowl to any field and keep the batsman back. He is very good at that. Even against the left-handers he is good because he knows how to cramp them up for room. It’s great to see such a young guy having so much belief in his ability. He expresses himself freely and is not scared, which is the most important thing.”
