Picture Credit: Twitter/@BCCI
Prior to India's departure to the United Kingdom for the ICC World Test Championship final and the five-Test series against the host nation, India skipper Virat Kohli has said that neither was there any pressure on him previously before nor there is now. Notably, after a cycle of home and away Tests over two years, India and New Zealand will fight out out in a solitary Test to decide the winner of the inaugural World Test Championship.
Virat stated that his main aim is to take Indian cricket forward and as long as the team progresses he is not burdened by pressure of any kind of expectation. His remark is particularly significant since Team India hasn't won a single ICC trophy under him despite him having a good record at the helm.
"Have no pressure on me. I just want to take Indian cricket forward. There was no pressure on me previously and nor there is any sort of pressure on me now," Kohli told reporters ahead of their flight to London.
Kohli in 2021 is slimmer and fitter than Kohli of 2014: Shastri
Outlining the changes in the India captain from his first tour of England in 2014, Shastri simply said that he has become fitter and has scored more runs since then.
"The Kohli of 2021 is slimmer and fitter and only has five and half thousand more runs," Shastri said.
Conditions are as potent for New Zealand as they are for us: Kohli
Playing down the narrative that New Zealand will have an advantage in English conditions, the India captain said that the conditions are potent for both the teams. He said that even Australian conditions would have favoured the home team but still it was Team India who emerged victorious.
"Conditions are as potent for New Zealand as they are for us. Conditions in Australia should've favoured them too. It's about how you look at things. If you want us to think that NZ will have an advantage before boarding the flight, then it's that otherwise we feel we are equal," said Kohli.