We want to emulate Virat and Co's performance against Pakistan'

Vikrant Keni

Disabled cricket team skipper Vikrant Keni is confident of keeping India's record intact against Pakistan in the upcoming T20 Physical Disability Cricket World Series to be held from August 3 to 13 in England. Keni, who scored two half centuries, claimed four wickets and was declared man of the series during the 2016 India-Pakistan T20 Dosti series in Delhi, wants his team to emulate Virat Kohli & Co's show in Manchester in the six-nation tournament.

Perfect record

"Our team have never lost a game to Pakistan and we want to emulate Virat Kohli and Co's World Cup performance. We are 100 per cent sure of following our seniors," Keni, told mid-day yesterday.

The team will attend a week-long camp in Bhiwani, Haryana from June 21. Each team member is following the ICC World Cup matches keenly. "We enjoyed watching India's win over Pakistan on television yesterday [Sunday]. We took a lot of inspiration and motivation from the way Rohit Sharma and captain Kohli batted. If we trust our abilities, we can beat any team in the world," said Keni, 33, whose right hand was afflicted with polio in his childhood. Keni, India's one-drop batsman and left-arm spinner, has played against Afghanistan and Bangladesh apart from Pakistan. He will be leading the nation for the first time and has started his homework by analysing the Indian senior team's performance in the UK.

Responsible Rohit

"The way Rohit shouldered responsibility and scored a century (140) in the absence of injured opener Shikhar Dhawan is really commendable. I am expecting my teammates to play the same way. We also learnt from yesterday's game that we should to be ready with Plan B if any good bowler gets injured - like Bhuvneshwar Kumar did against Pakistan," said Keni, who works in the despatch section of a private firm at Boisar in Palghar district.

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