Kohli dismisses Smith’s pressure remark as mind games

Smith, speaking to media on the eve of the second Test, said Australia was just one win away from reclaiming the series and the host must be feeling the heat since it was trailing.

Virat Kohli addressing a press conference a day before the 2nd Test Match against Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.

Kohli denied that India was feeling the pressure at 1-0 down in the series, an opinion Steve Smith had aired earlier.

Smith, speaking to media on the eve of the second Test, said Australia was just one win away from reclaiming the series and the host must be feeling the heat since it was trailing.

“I think they will feel under a little bit of pressure. Obviously, going into this series, all I heard was 4-0 to them. So they’re one down and need to come back. We are one win away from the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

“Things can happen pretty quickly here. So we might be one or two sessions away from getting that back. I’m sure they’ll feel under a bit of pressure,” Smith said.

When asked about Smith’s views, Kohli said: “Does it look like [I'm under pressure]? I'm pretty relaxed, I'm happy, I'm smiling. It's fine. It's his view, whatever he wants to say...It's time to focus on our skills rather than what Australia is saying or doing. I know these mind-games, and these press conferences are something they're very good at.”