21 July,2017 08:27 AM IST | Colombo | PTI
Whether it's Shikhar Dhawan or Abhinav Mukund, whoever opens alongside KL Rahul in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle should treat this as an opportunity rather than feel the pressure to perform
Virat Kohli interacts with the media in Colombo yesterday. PIC/AFP
Whether it's Shikhar Dhawan or Abhinav Mukund, whoever opens alongside KL Rahul in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle should treat this as an opportunity rather than feel the pressure to perform.
The skipper termed opener Murali Vijay's wrist injury as "unfortunate" but also praised his players being honest about their fitness status. "Every player comes to the team wanting to perform. Injuries are unfortunate part of sport. Vijay was back from rehab and played a game and told selectors he was not match fit. That is the kind of culture being created. People are honest," Kohli said during his arrival media conference. "Abhinav (Mukund) is there, he has played lot of domestic cricket.
Shikhar got a hundred here last time and then he had to miss couple of games. "(Cheteshwar) Pujara opened in the last Test (in Dharamsala).
Sri Lanka performed shoddily against Zimbabwe in the recently concluded series where they even lost the ODI rubber. But Kohli insisted that they are not taking Sri Lanka lightly. "I remember we came here two years back after tour of Australia, we were six or seven in the rankings. That particular series in Sri Lanka gave us belief. It taught us to come together as a team. Everyone in the team knows this is where it all started after losing the first Test in Galle. It was a dent for us.
"The way we came together in the last tour is iconic for us," said Kohli referring to the 2-1 win in the 2015 Test series, which was his first as full-time captain.
Sri Lanka are a team in transition but Kohli expects them to put up more than a fight. "We have to work very hard. You have to respect the game," said Kohli.
Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath took 15 wickets in the last series with seven of them coming in the victorious Galle Test. "If you don't find a solution to tackle him, he will do what he did at Galle. You have to stay a step ahead of the opposition and find ways to counter it," said Kohli.
