Virat Kohli says team is working hard on handling spin

With less than 24 hours to go for the 1^st Test between India and New Zealand, India’s Test captain Virat Kohli doesn’t look too worried about Team India’s recent struggles against the spinners. The stylish right-hander said that the team is working on that aspect, and to be the No.1 side they can’t leave any room for the opposition to exploit.

During India’ tour of Sri Lanka last year, Rangana Herath made the Indian batsman dance to his tune in the Galle Test as India failed to chase down 176 in their 2^nd innings. The left arm veteran spinner undid 7 Indian batsmen to spell doom for the visitors. In the aftermath, the media started questioning India’s age-old ability to dominate the spinners.

The venue for the 1^st Test, Green Park, Kanpur is expected to assist the spinners and Kohli didn’t look worried about that prospect but said the team would look to improve their performance against the spinners.

"I think it's not a concern," he said categorically but acknowledged that "It is an area where we can improve."

Kohli also conceded that India lost the Galle Test to Sri Lanka as they didn’t tackle the spinners as well they would have liked.

"We did not execute our batting plans, but we rectified that. The team wants to improve on that aspect of the game, something we surely need to get strong. So much was build up (in media). We countered conditions really well away from home -- England, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, we focused on pace, so we didn't pay that much attention on spin. That was one area where we feel that we could have worked or should have worked more.

"Now we are putting in more efforts to bat against the spinners longer. We are practicing the small little things. We are covering all bases because if you want to be a champion side, you don't want to give the opposition any window to get into the game and that's an area that needs to be worked on through the course of this season. Good thing is that we are playing a lot of Test cricket," he said.

The aggressive captain also lauded his team and said that the side has all the ingredients to be the world beaters.

"We believe we certainly have what it takes to be the best in the world. One area where we have tapped into is belief. Lot of young players coming into can lack belief, there could be a lot of insecurities, whether I'll play in the next game or whether my position is settled or not. So, it's all about getting rid of all those feelings.

"When you step into the pitch, you need to tell yourself that I own this position for next 10 years for India in Tests, that's how you can be confident and stress-free. That's how you can express yourself and that's what this team has been able to do. You want to play bold cricket, take risks," Kohli concluded.