Mumbai: It was not even 24 hours since his Mumbai wedding reception would have got over but Virat Kohli looked all charged up for the upcoming South Africa tour and did not allow the marriage or reception festivities hangover get the better off him during the Indian team’s pre-departure press conference here on Wednesday.
The Indian cricket team skipper had taken a mini-break and did not feature in the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka to marry Bollywood actress-producer Anushka Sharma. While he acknowledged the fact that it “will remain very special” for him and Anushka, “switching on back to cricket is not difficult”.
“(It is) Not difficult to switch on, at all. I was out for something more important that will remain very special for both of us. Switching on back to cricket is not difficult at all. It's in my blood, like it is for every other team member and the team management,” said Kohli.
“Getting back to the professional front is not difficult at all. It's not like I have not done anything for the past three weeks. I have been training and preparing to play for South Africa. Somewhere at the back of your mind you are always thinking that something important is coming up. You're mentally prepared,” added the Indian skipper.
Kohli also stated that he and the Indian team are looking forward to a challenging tour, which commences on January 5 as Kohli and co take on Faf du Plessis-led side in Newlands, Capetown.
“As a team we are very confident about where we stand. Of course we haven’t played in overseas conditions apart from the Champions Trophy where we did really well. We haven’t played in conditions consistently outside of India. Sri Lanka was an away tour but it was similar to our conditions. We are talking about whole different prospect which we understand and we are looking forward to it,” concluded Kohli.
