As newly-appointed Head Coach Ravi Shastri and skipper Virat Kohli has addressed the media gathering ahead of the Team India’s Sri Lanka tour which will kick start on July 26, the chief coach was clear in his thoughts, in a presser on Wednesday, while revealing there is no ‘conflict of interest’ taking place, adding the richness of the cricket will remain intact, as management would give their best to maintain the prestige. (Read Here: Matthew Hayden Refers To Virat Kohli As The Face Of Indian Cricket).
“The fabric of Indian cricket will remain and the credit should go to everyone, who participated in this Indian team over the last three years.” Ravi Shastri told to reporter in Mumbai, before taking on his first assignment as a coach alongside skipper Kohli.
The former skipper Shastri has effusively praised the unit for yielding the desired results since 2014, when Shastri took the charge as a Team Director of India, before being nominated as a coach on July 11, after plenty of a drama.
“If they are Number One today, it’s their efforts they have put in over that three year period and they deserve the credit,” Shastri added.
The 55-year-old cricketer-turned commentator Shastri, before occupying the prime job as a coach, stated the coaches will be appointed and released and the same process will continue owing to the law of a nature, as the drama has taken place in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), recently.
“People like us will come and go. I promise you there is no conflict of interest; as a player and a former captain. When you play the game, you want your mind clear. You want to be able to focus inwards with a care in your world for anything outside,” Shastri maintained.
On the other side, the 28-year-old Virat Kohli, who will fly to Sri Lanka alongside his team on July 20, reiterated he is not feeling any sort of a pressure before facing Islanders, as he believes in the process of a nature when he was asked about the current scenario prevailing.
“I don’t think there’s any added pressure, because what has to happen will happen. I believe in that. Regardless, of you know what happens around on the outside world. Being criticized with nothing, so we understand that aspect of playing this forward as well,” Kohli asserted.
Interestingly, under the tutelage of Anil Kumble, who has stepped down as a coach on June 20, as India had enough success, which further saw Virat Kohli-led Team India has had registered 12 wins out of 17 Tests.
“As a team we aspired to achieve what we want to achieve. Every one of us has faced hardships in the past,” Kohli said.
Seeking for an explanation from Kohli, the star batsman said he is focusing on his cricketing skills and nothing is in his control over the latest happenings taking place.
“Lot of speculation and lot of things fly around and those things are not in my control. So, as I said my job is to go out there on field and try to bring best out of this team along with the management and try to perform to the best of the abilities which I believe,” Kohli further said.
Owing to the responsibility, Kohli feels he is free from any external pressure, as his prime focus is to lead his young side for the better results during the upcoming series.
“I certainly don’t take it as an added pressure, because the responsibility has been given to me. I started off a player and I wanted to do best for the team and I continue to take up that responsibility and will continue to do so, in the future till the time I am the captain or kept at this position,” Kohli added.
Kohli describe the role of a captain is to give best as a player and meet the demands of the team in nutshell, as he made it clear by saying he’s looking forward to the series after chaos has made things sour in Indian cricket at the moment.
“You only have to look at the series you are going to play ahead of you. If you focus on all these external factors it’s very similar to you going out to bat and thinking what if I get out. It can happen in any scenario,” Kohli concluded.
India is scheduled to play the first Test of the three-match series in Colombo on Wednesday (July 26), as the series will conclude on 6th September which is further comprised of five One-day Internationals and a solitary Twenty20.