Virat Kohli. Picture Credit: ICC
India are all set to face England for the third Test of the ongoing 5-match series in a slightly new territory at Headingley, from Wednesday onwards. Virat Kohli's side will be playing their first Test match at the venue making it an exciting prospect for the fans. However, the Indian captain looked quite confident of his side's chances heading into the match despite the uncertainties.
While talking to the media on Tuesday, Virat Kohli admitted that the venue doesn't matter to the team and they are solely focused on the game. The 32-year-old spoke about various things, ranging from the on-field tussle between the players in the previous Test to India's probably line-up for the third Test. However, there was one moment during the pre-match press conference when King Kohli did not look too pleased with the journalist.
We think we can beat anyone: Virat Kohli
After India's historic win at Lord's, many people have not been giving the visitors the due credit that they deserve for their performance. There have been claims that England do not have a full-strength squad at their disposal with players like Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes and Stuart Broad unavailable.
During the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, one of the journalists asked Kohli about the same reflecting on the fact if he was happy to have defeated a weak-looking English side. As expected, the question did not go down well with the Indian captain as he stated, "I don't think that's a question to ask."
Virat Kohli later went on to clarify that his side don't care if the opposition has all the key players available or not as they believe that India can defeat anyone. Reflecting on India playing against a weak-looking English side, he said, "Does that depend on the strength of the opposition? Even when the key players are playing, we think we can beat anyone. We don't wait for the opposition to be weak."
Kohli admits that he was surprised to see Headingley pitch
The Indian captain also admitted that he was slightly surprised to see less grass on the Headingley wicket, which is traditionally known for the pace and bounce. Although Kohli hinted that India might stick with the same playing XI, he did talk about the possibility of the team including Ravichandran Ashwin according to the conditions on Wednesday.