ICC CWC 2019: Kohli reveals the atmosphere of the dressing room ahead of Pakistan clash

XtraTime Web Desk: India skipper Virat Kohli feels that it will be just another match of the World Cup when his side will face arch rivals Pakistan in an important World Cup clash at Manchester on Sunday. Beside that the India skipper is also confident that the atmosphere of the dressing room will also be the same like other matches.

“We have literally discussed nothing different. The atmosphere in the dressing room is the same. No one game is more important or more special than the other,” he said.

“The game starts at a certain time tomorrow and ends at a certain time, it won’t be lasting a lifetime. Our tournament doesn’t end tomorrow. The focus always is on the bigger picture,” he added.

Speaking on how the Indian team management is preparing for the opposition, Kohli said, “We know they have a lot of talent in their team, but we are focussing on what we need to do. We believe if we play to our best, we can beat any team in the world.”

“The conditions and length of the game will dictate the composition. We are not looking at the opposition to select our XI,” he added.

India have gone in with two spinners in their World Cup matches so far, with Mohammed Shami sitting out. Asked whether India could field three specialist pacers on Sunday, Kohli said, “We have to be flexible in our approach. If the conditions are very different than last game, if pace becomes a more potent option, then we will take a call accordingly. Let’s see how today pans out.”

Kohli was asked to elaborate on the tensest and funniest moments he remembers from India-Pakistan clashes. On when he felt the most pressure, he said, “My most tense moment against Pakistan was in the 2009 Champions Trophy. I had just flown in and played a bad shot. I couldn’t sleep till 6 am, thinking my career is over.”

“The funniest moment was in the 2011 World Cup semifinal. I was at the non striker’s end and heard a conversation between Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi, the details of which I can’t go into here,” he said.