Virat Kohli feels the surface for the third Test will be a “typical Wanderers pitch”.
The India captain said, “It’s definitely very different from the last game at Centurion. I would say it is similar to Cape Town but with a bit more grass, which we expected. It’s going to be a very lively wicket throughout the Test.”
Asked whether India would go in with an all-seam attack, Kohli responded: “the chances of anything happening are very bright. There is a lot of grass on the pitch, we would definitely look at that. Both teams would be thinking about those options.”
Kohli was not willing to look at lack of preparation for the setbacks here. “I personally don’t feel we didn’t feel prepared starting this series, I won’t sit here and point that out after losing a Test series.
“Our errors, our mistakes of not capitalising on situations has led to the series being 2-0,” he said.
Kohli said the players needed to take up individual responsibility to rectify small errors that have haunted India. “Although it’s a team game, each individual is doing his own thing at any given time.” On batsmen facing technical issues in the series, Kohli said, “Everyone has been spoken to individually, the discussions have been on ‘what went wrong, what happened, why it happened’ and the guys have taken it well.”
Looking at the positive from the series, “We have taken 40 wickets in the two Tests, we have not done that on many overseas tours, and that is a big boost.”
He admitted India needed to improve its fielding. “Fielding is obviously a big factor. They have fielded better, and it’s visible and not a question of having numbers attached to it.”
Kohli had fond memories of the pulse-pounding game the last time India played a Test at the Wanderers in 2013. “I think 2013 was a very exciting Test for everyone to be involved in. For both teams as well as the crowd, the last day being a really see-saw day.”
