Kohli optimistic about India's chances at Lord's
London, Aug 8 : After going down by a narrow 31-run loss to England in the opening Test at Edgbaston, India skipper Virat Kohli believed that his team is positive going into the second Test at the Lord's, starting Thursday.
Kohli starred in the opening Test, scoring 149 and 51 but fell short of partners as the team succumbed to a narrow loss in the opener of the five-Test rubber.
But the 29-year-old, who rose to his career-best No.1 ICC Test spot after the sterling performance in Birmingham is confident of his No.1 ranked Test team bouncing back in the second match.
"It's not like we're getting rolled over -- every Test match that we're playing is competitive," Kohli said at the pre-match presser on Wednesday.
"I feel as a team we're just about there. We're in the zone where we're very positive," added Kohli, referring to the 95-run win on their last appearance at Lord's four years ago.
India have not won a Test series in England since 2007.
Backing his batsmen to come back in the second game, Kohli said: "Being in the right mindset is a very individual thing."
Asked about his personal achievement of leading from the front when the chips were down in the first innings of the first Test, Kohli said the motivation of leading the country inspires him to perform individually.
"Getting to captain the country, I feel, is an honour and I definitely leave no stones unturned when it comes to that," he said.
Kohli also did not rule out the possibility of India fielding two spinners at Lord's, considering the current hot weather conditions.
"The pitch is going to be, I think, an all-round wicket. When the wicket wears off, the spinners can come into play as well," he said.
"It's a tempting thought to field two spinners but we will have to take a call on that depending on the team balance. It's definitely in contention," he added.
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Davangere: Two policemen injured in stone pelting during Ganesha procession
Davangere: Reports state that two groups engaged in stone pelting at each other during Ganesha idol immersion ceremony in Davangere on Thursday. Two police personnel were injured in the incident.
Few days ago, two groups of youth engaged in verbal altercation regarding raising of a flag for Eid Milad celebration. On account of the clashes, police had heightened security for the Ganesha procession. Despite the additional security, stones were pelted at the procession, sources stated. Inspector Gururaj and constable Raghavendra were injured in the incident. The procession continued after the police brought the situation to control. However, the stone pelting resumed once again as the procession surged forwards.
Security has been tightened up in the area and all shops have been closed down by the police. The two police personnel, who were injured in the stone pelting, are undergoing treatment at a hospital.
