India vs Australia | Virat Kohli hopes MCG will throw a “lively, result-oriented pitch”

The last time India played at the MCG, in 2014, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane strung together a 262-run partnership, which is still India's highest stand outside Asia in the last 14 years. The wicket didn’t have any sort of assistance for the bowlers, which resulted in the game ending in a stalemate. Even last year, the Ashes Test ended in a draw, forcing the ICC to give it a "poor" rating. However, Virat Kohli is highly optimistic about this year’s pitch and hoped for the trend of the pitches in the series - lively and bouncy - to continue. 

"Last time, the pitch played a big part in not being able to have a result either ways, for both sides. But seeing the pitch now, it has much more grass than it had last time and I hope that it is a lively pitch. I hope it does as much as it did in the first two games because as a side, you always know that you are in for a result that way," Virat Kohli said, reported PTI.

“The surface, what I saw yesterday, looked pretty dry underneath. There is a good coverage of grass which should keep the surface intact but again, we have to figure out on the field how the pitch actually plays and then figure out our plans accordingly. I think it should have enough for the bowlers to stay interested on all days of the Test match and hopefully, it's a much more lively wicket than the last time we played here."

This tour has been touted as India’s best chance to win a series in Australia for a couple of reasons. The first reason being India’s bowling is at an all-time high whereas Australia don’t have Steve Smith and David Warner at their disposal. While the bowlers have been performing on expected lines - barring a few moments when they failed to dismiss the Aussie tail-enders - the batsmen have conceded the advantage, more often than not. Going into the third Test, both the underperforming openers, Murali Vijay and KL Rahul, have been dropped. On being asked about the batting balance in the team, Kohli was quite vocal in stating that playing in overseas conditions is 80% mental and 20% technical.

"I personally think there is no real secret. For me, what has worked is being comfortable in where I am playing. Not necessarily looking at how difficult the wicket is but if you are able to feel comfortable there, then you are more or less in control of what you want to do. As a batsman, if at any stage, you are hesitating or scared of the pace and the bounce, then you are definitely going to get hit. It's something that you sit in your room and work on, it's not something that you can arrive and feel on that particular day. 

“It's something that I work on, the mindset bit, and I think that's probably the only and the most important thing, to get into that frame of mind where you feel like you are ready enough to get runs anywhere. That takes a constant effort on a daily basis. There's no real secret, it's just about getting into a positive frame of mind."

"If you are convinced in your mind that you can do it, your body starts reacting accordingly. It's all about getting into that frame of mind, I guess, as a team, as individuals, when we prepare for our own skillsets also. If we are totally convinced stepping on to the park that we can do it, then we can definitely do it. I feel it is 80% mental and 20% technical when you go to any country away from your conditions to play. The teams that stay in a good zone for long enough, they end up doing special things. We are definitely working on that aspect, to stay in that zone, and keep pushing ourselves to play good quality cricket and be competitive on all days of the Test match. And when we sense an opportunity to get a result, we go for that opportunity. But the most important thing is the mental set-up according to me,” the Indian skipper added.