The lone Test between hosts Bangladesh and India will usher in a new beginning for visiting skipper Virat Kohli. Not only will he embark on his first full series as Test captain, the dashing batsman will also face the Tigers in whites for the very first time.
And on the eve of the solitary five-dayer against their subcontinent rival, a dead-panned Kohli informed the media that they do have plans in place but emphasised on the importance of application.
“Yes, we do have [plans]. We have plans for particular batsmen. We have played against Tamim [Iqbal], Mominul [Haque] and Shakib [al Hasan] a lot in the past. But, playing a Test match against so many of them for the first time will be a little bit different,” the 26-year old told the conference previewing the Fatullah Test yesterday.
“As I said before, they did very well in ODI. That is why the confidence will be carried into the Test matches as well. So, we do have plans. It is all about executing plans. Having plans is one thing but you need to execute and try to win the match,” added the Delhi cricketer.
Kohli praised the recent resurgence of the Tigers, referencing the recent series against Pakistan as a case in point, and is of the opinion that the home side will pose a stern threat to the tourists’ hope of a win in the Fatullah Test.
“Of course I believe they can give a fight. Pakistan was a good team too. They scored runs, took wickets against them,” said Kohli before adding, “I have not played any Test against Bangladesh. If you see their ODI graph, they are improving. So, the guys are pretty much confident of the way they are playing.
“They are contributing in Test cricket. We cannot take any team lightly. Now, how they will react is their concern. We have to think what we do. You have to bowl well to every batsman, no matter he is [AB] de Villiers or Shakib al Hasan. You have to do your work.”
