We have good depth in our batting: Virat Kohli

RCB skipper said they have the most balanced side of the IPL. (Source: PTI)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli on Friday sent out a warning to rivals, saying his team is the most balanced side now which will give them the license to play more freely as they begin their campaign in the IPL-8 cricket tournament against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday.(Full Coverage| Fixtures)

“I personally feel that this season you will probably see myself, Chris and AB (de Villiers) expressing ourselves more than ever,” Kohli told reporters on the eve of the match.

“This year is a great opportunity for us to actually cross that line. We have a much more balanced team. Probably the most balanced we have had, because the Indian batting was something that we were lacking. But now with four-five youngsters coming in the middle-order, it’s really strengthened our batting. We bat deep now. So the combination is right. Hopefully this one is the season for us.”

“We have good depth in our batting and we have got good resources this time, so we can start to bat freely. In the last two, three years we batted under more pressure as compared to other teams because we were relying top heavy,” he said.

Reflecting on their past performances, Kohli said earlier the team was under pressure as other teams were batting till no. 8 and so the top guys could go and express themselves.

“We had to mix caution and aggression. This time, I won’t say that we will blindly go and swing the bat but you will probably see the guys more relaxed in expressing themselves more and be confident in what they want to execute and not have as many second thoughts as probably we would have had in the last couple of seasons,” he said.

Despite having all the ingredients of a champion team, RCB are yet to win the title and Kohli said the fans expect them to win the trophy because they play entertaining brand of cricket.

“That’s quite a debate. We have played two finals, we have played two semifinals, four times we failed to qualify. So it’s been a mixed sort of performance from us,” he said.

“But the seasons we have played well, we have probably been the most entertaining team. I think that’s the reason a lot of people feel that disappointment or that strange feeling that they have, that why doesn’t this team win. They have had that sort of anger inside them, in a good way. They want us to win,” he said at the Eden Gardens.

Talented Indian youngsters like Varun Aaron, Ashok Dinda, Abu Nechim, Harshal Patel, Sandeep Warrier would be their big advantage, Kohli said.

“Our plus point is that we have good Indian fast bowlers. So we got a lot of bowling there, and Abu has pace, he is a very good death bowler,” he said.

“We have Iqbal Abdullah as well this year along with Chahal (in the spin department). That gives Chahal a sort of more relaxed atmosphere to bowl in as well.

“Last year he was under too much pressure. So we have the right balance, we just need to keep the guys as relaxed and confident as possible. That’s the trick in the IPL. We have got the bowling resources for sure. It’s about how to use them at various stages in the IPL,” he added.

The India Test captain further said he would stick to the aggressive brand of cricket.

“I don’t think my mindset changes that much because I like to captain in an aggressive way, I like to set fields to get batsmen out. That stays in Test cricket, T20 and other formats as well.”

The IPL gives more freedom to express than big tournaments like the World Cup, Kohli said.

“I think that is the main reason why you see a lot of guys are at their best in the IPL because they feel more relaxed mentally and feel more assured of playing more games.”

“That gives them a lot of confidence to go out there and express themselves equally. I personally don’t prepare differently. If I play a certain shot in Test cricket, to hit a six you just need an extension of the same shot. There is no reason for me to start slogging in T20 cricket. I never do that. I back my skills. You probably won’t see me hitting so many sixes because I bank on hitting the gaps and timing the ball.”

“It is about realising individual strengths. I like to pretty much bat in the same mould because I have to play different formats every now and then and then it becomes really difficult if you majorly change your batting,” he added.

Kohli looked happy with the way the otherwise slow Eden surface behaved in KKR-MI clash.

“To see the first game happening on a really lively wicket where the ball was coming on to the bat, it was very pleasing. It was an even contest,” he said.

“The ball was turning as well, the fast bowlers had something in it as well. The batsmen enjoyed batting in the latter half of the innings as well. All in all it was a complete cricket wicket and I quite enjoyed watching it.”

Source:: Indian Express