Virat Kohli says he is open to helping Sri Lanka cricket

Pallekele:  He is open to the idea of discussing Sri Lanka’s transitional issues with their coach Nic Pothas, but India skipper Virat Kohli will only do it once he is done with the ongoing limited overs series. Kohli was asked about Pothas’ comment that they would interact with the Indian team management to overcome the transition period difficulties their team is facing currently.

“We haven’t had any discussions yet. Those things may happen after the competitive zone is over and done with the series. I think that will happen after September 6 if it has to happen from their end,” Kohli said at the pre-match press conference here on Wednesday.

The hosts’ team bus was subject of an angry reaction from fans at Dambulla after the heavy defeat in the first ODI. Kohli spoke about how India managed the transition phase after many of their own greats retired.

“...But look it is difficult for any team going through transition. One thing that we decided to do as a team was take more responsibility and ownership of what we do on the field when playing for the country. We just needed to change our mindset.” Mental preparation was key to standing upto challenges, according to the captain.

“It didn’t matter if we were playing against a side that has played 60 Tests each – if we are mentally more prepared than them then we are in a better position to win. So we decided to put our heads in that zone where experience didn’t matter much for us.

“It was the fight and competitiveness we were willing to show and the desire to fight for longer periods that helped us get through that phase quicker than what others might have faced,” said the skipper. Kohli said extreme reactions from fans are beyond the players’ control and they would rather focus on the task at hand.