IND vs ENG: 'Only focussed on winning, draw is not an option,' says Virat Kohli

Ahead of today's first Test against England, India skipper Virat Kohli insists his team's strategy in the longest format, be it home or away, has always been to go for victory

A dream took flight during an unforgettable Australian summer and a confident India will aim to soar higher with the return of Virat Kohli against Joe Root’s England during a four-Test series, starting today with both sides bidding to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Kohli, who will return to lead the national side after his paternity leave, was impressed by India’s youngsters and the newcomers performing well in Australia. 
He said that the team’s strategy of going for the win overseas and keeping draw only the last option is what helped them do well and win the last Test in Brisbane.
“We had decided back in 2014 when I took over as captain that whenever I get a chance, I will go for the win and that a draw will be our last option if we don’t have a chance to win. We have persisted with this. In every match we think of how and where we can win from. Making a plan is one thing but persisting with it requires everyone’s contribution,” said Kohli, adding that the youngsters followed it and that’s the reason they performed well. “What happened in Australia recently—youngsters coming and performing—is special for us. Because we did not have that much experience and the impactful performances they came up with, that can happen only with that mindset—they thought that they will go for the win. Regardless of who we are playing against, the difference in experience, all that goes out of the picture and your focus stays on winning.”

Kohli insisted that India will not make the mistake of focussing on the WTC final that ended up costing them the series in New Zealand last year. “In New Zealand, we did discuss it [WTC final] a bit and that could have added extra pressure on us to do everything so precisely. We ended up being under pressure a little bit. But from Australia onwards, it was all about following a good process, preparing well, going out there and just understanding the situation and making sure we play according to the situation,” said Kohli.

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