India Test skipper Virat Kohli on Thursday insisted that his side are skilled enough to tackle any challenge that New Zealand could potentially mount back in the second match, beginning at the Eden Gardens from tomorrow.
"We expect them to play really good cricket but we expect ourselves to bounce back and pull things back if things go their way. We are not pre-planning for any approach. We feel that we are skilled enough to tackle any plans they come with. If we pre-plan, then it is difficult to switch back to other things. We go with a clear head then it is easy to adapt to a situation put forth in front of us," Kohli said during a press conference ahead of the Kolkata Test.
"Our focus will be to execute our skills as well we can. It is also about the batsmen on how they play. In the first game they had some good partnerships and you just have to sit back appreciate that. I think Test cricket is all about coming back from situations rather than being on top all the time," the 27-year-old added.
Kohli hasn't able to put up substantial scores on board since hitting an imperious double hundred in Antigua against the West Indies but the batting prodigy insisted that he was unperturbed by his current form and instead devotes his time training in quest of perfection.
"My own form, I don't really think about these things. Because, cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time. Especially while batting, where you have only one chance. If you get caught off a no-ball it is different. Generally cricket is a game of chances, but preparation is in my hand. I look to that 100% every time I walk on to practice," Kohli observed.
"I don't think there is anything called form; it's how you feel on a particular day. It can be - even if you are scoring runs every game suddenly you don't feel good one game and get out. That doesn't mean you are out of form. It doesn't mean you come back into form suddenly just because you are playing well one day. It is just about how good you are feeling mentally. That's all we as cricketers look to achieve. To be stable in our heads, whether you get runs or don't. That's the most important thing in the long run. What's in our hands is to work hard, and we do that in every practice session," he signed off.
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