With Indian cricket team geared up for their busiest Test season comprising 17 five-day games, skipper Virat Kohli aptly stated that the coming days will be an indicator as to how they have shaped up as a Test unit.
“This is the perfect situation and opportunity to challenge and assess ourselves as a Test team. These months will define how we play as a Test team in coming years,” Kohli said at the pre-departure media conference ahead of Indian team’s tour of the West Indies.
Hailing Anil Kumble’s appointment as the team’s head coach, the Indian skipper said that now they have a man, who can also tell them how to win Test matches abroad. The skipper also pointed out how Kumble has brought a refreshing change to the team bonding sessions. “Yesterday, he arranged a team activity (cricketers had a Drum Circle session with Vasundhara Das’s group) and it was fun. It was a surprise for us. Often due to the rigours of international cricket, we forget about team bonding session,” he said.
Kohli is delighted that a skillful fast bowler like Mohammed Shami is back in the team as he has the ability to hit the “perfect Test match length”, which would be necessary for the upcoming tour of West Indies. “Shami is obviously a very skillful guy and we all know that. He has a lot of ability with the ball. The way he releases and pitches the ball, it’s more than perfect for Test cricket. I mean the line and length that he hits is always attacking no matter how the wicket is.”
Important to have fun: Dhoni
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s short yet stirring speech had a simple message for his teammates ahead of a busy season beginning with the West Indies tour: “It is important to have fun while you playing and if you back each other, success will follow you eventually”.
“We started 45 minutes back (with the drum session) and most of us agreed that it is the first time we played any instrument. So we can have fun like this, we can have fun in cricket,” Dhoni said.
“I think this is the period where Indian cricket will move forward. last two-three years, we were talking about the youngsters getting into the Test arena. Now we have a set of batsmen who are into the Test arena, we have a pool of bowlers. I am talking about a pool of bowlers and batsmen. That is why this coming phase will be very interesting,” said Dhoni.