Kohli: ‘SSC’s is the kind of wicket we like to play on’

The Indian captain is keen to resume battle on “a great wicket for Test cricket.”

Virat Kohli said he enjoyed playing at the venue two years ago.

Helming a team on a bull-run, a confident Virat Kohli told the press here on Wednesday that India can deliver a fine performance on a result-oriented Sinhalese Sports Club pitch during the second Test.

Excerpts :

The pitch

It is a wicket that you will get a result on for sure. That excites us, it's something that we look forward to as a team and this is the kind of wicket that we always like to play on, where we have a chance to make an impact on the game. I really enjoyed playing here last time, and I think it's a great wicket for Test cricket.

Preview: India favourite to seal series at hallowed SSC

Rahul’s return

K. L. (Rahul) has been our established opener. One of the openers will have to make way for K. L. because of what he has done in the past two years for us. He has been solid and according to me K. L. will definitely come back into the XI. It is very important for us to make him feel that this is his spot. And it won’t change because of unfortunate events that happen outside the playing field or the injuries that you cannot control. He is a guy that needs to be backed and we as a team, as management and I as the captain, all back him a 100 per cent.

Dhawan or Abhinav

In a situation like this, you need to sit down and think which player has had more impact on the game. To be honest, it’s a pretty thin line, it is a very small margin but unfortunately, that is how the sport goes. As I said (earlier), the guy who sits out will understand the reasons behind it.

A spin troika?

All kinds of possibilities are there when you have a big squad. Looking at the conditions, we could go with anyone. Everyone is prepared to take on the field.

Lessons from Galle

One thing we need to be aware of is when there is a partnership, then we need to have more composure and more discipline. But as I said, there always will be a few scratches here and there when you are playing Test cricket after March.