Their amazing run of form in the shortest format of the game winning 10 out of their 11 matches has made M.S. Dhoni and his troops hot favourites when they take on a spirited New Zealand side, here in the campaign opener of the ICC World T20 on Tuesday.
However, even though confidence is running high in the dressing room, in-form batsman Virat Kohli feels the global tournament will be a tough contest and the boys cannot get carried away by success.
“It’s a big event and the whole feel and vibe is different from a bilateral series. We all have experienced that before so it’s nothing new. I think the key is to learn from the past where calmness is required in big tournaments because you can get carried away or get over excited,” Kohli said at the pre-match conference on Monday.
“Focus is on skills that need to be executed on the field. There can be a lot of focus shifting in terms of watching other oppositions play on rest days. It’s very important to stay away from all those things, focus on what the team are doing and not focus on whether someone is going to lose or win for your team to go through.
“People don’t understand, once you get involved watching a game, you get so involved that you forget to do what you have to do for your preparations,” he added.
New Zealand, who currently are going through a transition period after the departure of veteran Brendon McCullum will want to perform better in ICC tournaments having won just 11 matches in five editions. Kohli, who agreed that the Asia Cup was a good preparation, wishes to limit the concentration to his own team.
“The opposition do not matter for us so much at this stage. Obviously you need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition players but its more to do with the way we have played and continue the same way, probably try to execute the same things we have done which has brought us success,” he said.
The Indian batting mainstay also pointed out that clinching the trophy in the ICC World Cup in 2011 gives the ‘Men in Blue’ a further boost going into the World T20 but the real challenge here according to Kohli is how a player can manage himself off the field.
“We got over that hurdle in the 50-over format which was a major hurdle honestly. For me, first time to be the youngest in the team and experience that kind of pressure, obviously I didn’t feel it. But I saw senior players, the way people expect things out of them and everywhere they would get advice, suggestions, expectations and prayers. You have to soak all of that in.
“On the field is probably safest and the quietest place for you, specially when playing at home.
“The field is actually a place where you release pressure in big tournaments. That requires a collective effort of everyone. No one can drift away.”
