London, Aug 13: India captain Virat Kohli feels his team’s mounting batting troubles are more mental than technical and has urged his fellow batsmen to “keep it simple” in the head to save ongoing Test series against England.
India could only make 107 and 130 in the second Test at Lord’s, resulting in an innings and 159-run defeat here yesterday. The team is down 0-2 in the five-match series with the third game due to start on August 18 in Nottingham.
“I don’t see any technical deficiency. If a batsman is clear in the head and he’s clear about the plans he’s taking, then if the ball does something off the pitch, you’re able to counter it,” said Kohli at the post-match media interaction.
“If my head’s clouded then I feel like the ball can do this, or that, or even that. You know there are three-four scenarios that run in your head. It sounds cliche but as the greats have said, keep this game simple, that’s all you have to do. You can’t come here and think the conditions are too difficult because they are really not if you’re prepared to counter them.
The skipper said the demons in the head have to be conquered.
“Any conditions in the world can be easy or as difficult. In India, if you’re not mentally there it seems like the ball is doing a whole lot, even when it’s not.”
The weather also did not favour India, who batted in overcast conditions while England scored their runs in bright sunshine on day three.
“A lot of people are talking about the conditions, that we batted during a difficult time. On the day that was good, we had to bowl. And again, today was overcast and we had to bat. If we think about these things, we won’t be able to plan for the future.
“There is nothing to be gained from thinking about what has happened and thinking what if. Going ahead in this series, we need to look at the mistakes we’ve made in this game and correct them. A sportsman has no other options,” felt the captain.
