India captain Virat Kohli has said that they have put the terrible Pune loss behind them and are looking forward to the second Test, starting in Bengaluru on Saturday, with a fresh outlook.
Speaking at the pre-match conference, Kohli said he was confident of the team's fightback. "We have the belief that we can win this series. I can assure you that everyone is taking this as a massive challenge and everyone is raring to turn things around in this series and play the kind of cricket we all know that we can play and not take a backward step at any stage," Kohli asserted.
While Kohli admitted that the Pune loss hurt, the Indian captain also felt that such losses are sometimes necessary. "Sometimes these defeats are necessary. It is very rare that the whole team fails to contribute. Pune was one of those days. Pune was a disappointment because of the way we played, not that we lost but the way we lost. When you don't have enough intent and you lose the game, that's when it hurts you," he explained.
"The defeat gives you an opportunity to understand what are the things we need to work on. Sometimes when you win, you don't focus on everything because somebody or the other steps up. That's always a good sign. But we cannot take anything for granted at any stage. It was not a set back. These things are also important in your Test journey," he said.
Kohli felt that the the criticism of all-rounder Jayant Yadav, who had a poor game in Pune was unfair. "Jayant has been outstanding. He has been brilliant, very intelligent. All of us go through the grind. Pune wasn't his best game, but I won't judge as he has played too little. He knows how to turn things around and will get back into the zone," Kohli said in defence of the spinner.
Kohli also asserted that there won't be a repeat of Pune. "We know we didn't play well and Australia did; that doesn't mean that will happen in every Test match. If you play well every day, every session, then you will win the Test match. We didn't do that. You will not get to see a performance like that again; that I can assure you," the skipper added.
--By A Cricket Correspondent
