India vs England | Team’s combination will depend on pitch condition, says Virat Kohli

India were completely outplayed in the second Test at Lord’s as England won the match by an innings and 159 runs. A loss at Lord’s gave England the much-needed advantage as they achieved a 2-0 lead in the series. The visitors were highly affected as the management opted not to practice for the next few days after the 2nd Test in London before traveling to Nottingham for the next Test. According to team India’s management staff, it was more about the mental aspect and the team needed to regroup.

In a pre-match press conference, Kohli stated that the visitors are only focusing on what the team requires at the moment. He further said that they were just looking forward to winning the match as there is no room for them (India) to think of anything else.

“We have mostly discussed what the team needs and requires at the moment throughout the course of this Test match. Considering the current scenario, we are back against the wall and in such a situation you cannot afford to think much rather than winning the game. We need to be positive and execute what has been discussed,” Kohli said.

Speaking about Jasprit Bumrah’s inclusion in the 3rd Test, the Indian captain said the team is excited to have him back in the side as he is an attacking bowler who consistently hits the good areas. Kohli felt that an aggressive bowler like Bumrah would definitely help India’s bowling unit.

“We are very excited to have him (Bumrah) back in the side and I feel he is an attacking bowler who is very consistent as far as line and lengths are concerned. I think his aggressive mindset will help us and we have seen that in South Africa as well. So overall it is good to have him back in the side,” he added.

Kohli further said that the team’s combination will depend on the conditions on offer in Nottingham. He felt that if the pitch will help the bowlers then his team might be tempted to pick an extra batsman to counter it. On the other hand, he said that an unbiased pitch might bring in an extra bowler in order to pick all the 20 wickets.

“The team combination will depend on the surface (pitch condition). If it assists the bowlers, then we might play an extra batsman and if it is an even wicket then we will play an extra bowler. In either case, our first priority will be to pick those 20 crucial wickets to win the game,” Kohli said.