We don't require 'square, dry turners' to win, insists Kohli

Mohali (Punjab) [India], Nov. 29 (ANI): Test skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday insisted that India, which in currently ranked No. 1 in Tests, are a team which have enough skill to play good cricket and don't "require square, dry turners" to win matches. "Even when we played in Kolkata earlier this year, we showed that we are not a side who require square, dry turners. We have enough skill to play good cricket and beat any team in the world," Kohli said in the press conference after the Mohali Test which the hosts won comfortably by eight wickets. "That's the kind of belief we have created in the change room and that can only happen when you are not worried about what is happening outside that door. You focus on your skills, your strengths and move along," he added. The Indian Test skipper also insisted that the team is currently focused on playing good cricket. "We are a team that looks to play good cricket. We look to win sessions and situations when we are in trouble, come back from those situations," the flamboyant Indian batsman said. These comments from Kohli could be seen as a message to the critics who have been skeptical of India's rise to the top of ICC Test rankings following their series win against South Africa and New Zealand. Speaking about the pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium, Kohli said, "It was perfectly good wicket for cricket. If you talk about the pacers, our guys did rush in and put in the efforts and got the results as well. So, it was a wicket that if you persisted enough, you would get the desired result." Earlier in the day, recalled wicketkeeper-batsman Parthiv Patel smashed a brilliant half century to hand India a comprehensive win over the Alastair Cook-led side on Day four of the third Test. Chasing a paltry score of 103, Patel, who was recalled into the Test side after a gap of eight years, along with inform Cheteshwar Pujara (25) anchored the chase and played an unbeaten knock of 67 runs to help the hosts take a 2-0 lead in the five match series. At the moment, India is looking dominant enough to clinch the five-match series with both their batters and bowlers performing exceedingly well. On the other hand, after the drawn Rajkot Test, Cook and his men have failed to come up with a good batting performance---a reason for their debacle in the other two games. It would be a herculean task for the visitors to restore their confidence and stage a comeback in the upcoming games. The two teams will now lock horns in the fourth Test to be played at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai from December 8. (ANI)