New Delhi, Delhi, India

Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli addressed a press conference a day before team's first match against South Africa on Wednesday at Southampton's Rose Bowl stadium. 

Advertisment

Virat answered several questions asked by the reporters regarding Team India's planning for the World Cup tournament. 

Virat said that the World Cup 2019 will be challenging because of its format as the tournament is round-robin, which means, all countries will play each other once and the top four will enter the knockout stages. 

During the press conference, Virat said, "When you perform for long, expectations are there. You have to accept that." 

Advertisment

"Whenever I go out to bat, people expect hundreds. My focus is on making the team win. 100, 60, 40 whatever it is,"  he added. 

Virat also said, "South Africa is a very dangerous side on their day and even with replacements they would be a strong side. We don't take anyone lightly. We need to approach the game focusing on our strengths."

Kohli also talked about Dale Steyn absence as he has been ruled out after failing to recover from a shoulder injury. 

Advertisment

Indian skipper Virat Kohli says his side must "maintain respect" for South Africa despite their injury crisis. 

×

South African another pacer Lungi Ngidi limped off in the last match against Bangladesh.  

Virat said that despite the injury concerns Kagiso Rabada remains a threat for the Indian team although he added that Team India is prepared to face the pacer. 

Virat also mentioned that the atmosphere in the dressing room is good and the team's spirit is great. 

Kohli said that the team has learnt from the mistakes of the 2017 Champions Trophy when they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan in the final. 

"The lessons from the Champions Trophy -- is to play the cricket we know how to play. In the final, the better side won. We have plugged the gaps. We brought in wrist spinners to take wickets in the middle overs. We are a stronger side than Champions Trophy side," he told reporters. 

"The first week has been gradual progress. A couple of lopsided games, a couple of one-sided games. There is a lot to learn about composure. The teams that are more composed have better chances of winning games, have better chances of handling pressure," the Indian skipper expressed. 

"We need to bring our experience into play to make better decisions tomorrow. The team that can handle pressure better will win the tournament," he added.