Star batsman Virat Kohli urged his team-mates to stay calm Monday amid growing fervour about India's prospects in the World Twenty20, ahead of the host's tricky tournament opener against New Zealand.
After winning 10 of their last 11 T20 internationals, India are red-hot favourites for the World T20 and former batsman Virender Sehwag said last week he was "99 percent certain" they would become the first team to win the trophy for a second time.
But Kohli, who is sometimes regarded as something of a firebrand, tried to put a dampener on expectations in a press conference on the eve of the match in Nagpur and said it was important not to get carried away.
"I think the key is to learn from the past where calmness is required in big tournaments like the ICC (International Cricket Council) events because you can get sort of carried away or over anxious or over excited," said Kohli, who is India's Test captain.
"Both those feelings are not great for any side going into a big tournament.
"What we've learned from playing in big tournaments in the past is that we have to stay as calm as possible and focus on the skills that need to be executed on the field."
India have a woeful track record against the Black Caps in World T20 tournaments, losing four out of their five previous encounters while the other match was rained off.
Source
After winning 10 of their last 11 T20 internationals, India are red-hot favourites for the World T20 and former batsman Virender Sehwag said last week he was "99 percent certain" they would become the first team to win the trophy for a second time.
But Kohli, who is sometimes regarded as something of a firebrand, tried to put a dampener on expectations in a press conference on the eve of the match in Nagpur and said it was important not to get carried away.
"I think the key is to learn from the past where calmness is required in big tournaments like the ICC (International Cricket Council) events because you can get sort of carried away or over anxious or over excited," said Kohli, who is India's Test captain.
"Both those feelings are not great for any side going into a big tournament.
"What we've learned from playing in big tournaments in the past is that we have to stay as calm as possible and focus on the skills that need to be executed on the field."
India have a woeful track record against the Black Caps in World T20 tournaments, losing four out of their five previous encounters while the other match was rained off.
Source
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