Virat Kohli looks to move on from Anil Kumble controversy

07/19/2017

Virat Kohli has asserted that he is looking to move beyond the infamous spat with Anil Kumble while stating that there is no added pressure on him because of the incident. The Indian skipper also called that the previous tour to Sri Lanka in 2015 a "landmark tour" for the Indian cricket team.

Off late, the Indian team has been making the news for all the wrong reasons due to Anil Kumble’s controversial exit from the head coach’s post, on June 20, due to his “untenable” relationship with Kohli. Following Kumble’s departure, fans accused Kohli of being the main reason for the entire fiasco which led to Kumble’s dismissal.

Given that the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka is India’s first tour, where they will play Tests, since the entire episode, when asked if there was any added pressure on him, Kohli said, "I only have the bat in hand and my job is to go out there and control what's been done on the field. That's something that I have focused on in the last couple of months and I continue to do so, lot of speculation and things fly around - those things are not in my control. (I) try to bring the best out of this team along with the management and try to perform to the best of my abilities which I believe," reported Cricbuzz.

"I don't think there is any added pressure. What has to happen will happen, I believe in that. As a team, we aspire to achieve what we want to achieve. Being criticised is nothing new - we understand that aspect of playing the sport as well. I certainly don't take any added pressure. You just need to take care of your mindset and move forward."

The Sri Lanka tour kicks off a marathon away season for India which will see the top-ranked Test team take on the likes of South Africa, England, and Australia, away from home, before 2018 comes to a close. The 28-year-old stressed on the importance of the upcoming season as it is set to test the mettle of the Indian side who had a perfect home record in 2016-17. But Sri Lanka brings back fond memories for Kohli as his first major assignment as Test skipper came on the 2015 tour of the island nation.

However, the preceding tour of Sri Lanka was significant for more than just one reason, after losing the first Test at Galle from a winning position, India stormed back to win the next two games, to capture the series 2-1. Moreover, that started a run which has seen Kohli yet to be defeated in a Test series under his captaincy.

Reminiscing about that tour, Kohli felt that it was a "landmark tour" for his side as they embarked on a long journey which ultimately ended with them being crowned the number one Test side.

"That tour for us was a landmark tour because the players have matured from then on. It's been 24 months since then, but that tour was the start of our belief system that we can win away from home," Kohli said.

"We do have the side required to win away from home and we do have the culture that has been created in the team to win whatever Test matches or series that we play. The mindset was to try and win the series. Losing the first Test was a shock to us but the way we bounced back was only because of the team culture created at that stage. We showed more belief in our abilities and that we could win from any situation and from then on you could see the results that we have had so far. The same mindset would apply now what we started back in 2015," he concluded.

Virat Kohli looks to move on from Anil Kumble controversy

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