Virat Kohli is the man for the future, he is hungry and eager to adapt quickly: Ganguly

India’s batting in the subcontinent has never been a worry but it was satisfying to see the approach of some of them. Virender Sehwag showed patience, which has been asked of him for long, and we will have to see whether this is going to be his new approach or he will flatter to deceive again, writes Sourav in his column in Hindustan Times, adding that watching Viru and Virat in flow was a treat.

“Virat Kohli is the man for the future. The way he has shaped up as a batsman is an example for the younger players in the dressing room. He is hungry and eager to adapt quickly. His biggest asset is the desperation to succeed and what will stand him in good stead will be his ability to convert scores into three-figure marks. That’s the hallmark of a quality player, which he is. With the retirement of Dravid and a few of the others not too far away, his form will be important for Indian cricket,” writes Ganguly.

Meanwhile according to news reports Virat Kohli has supported India’s decision to play five bowlers, including Irfan Pathan, in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, saying that in batting conditions, a side needs to back its top six to come good. Four of the top six, including centurion Kohli, did come good today, and the bowling was led by the allrounder Irfan, who turned in decisive figures of 10-1-37-2 even as three of the other frontline bowlers went for runs.

“In batting conditions, you have to bank on your six batsmen,” Kohli said. “You’ve to show faith in them and expect them to perform. You just can’t be on the safer side playing seven batsmen and compromise on a bowler because I think as a captain you need an extra option of a bowler knowing the wicket is going to be good in the second innings as well. The balance we had today was perfect and having a bowler always gives that cushion to the captain if the situation doesn’t go well.”

Meanwhile Indian Express reports that with the second ODI also to be played at the same venue on Wednesday, the players will have to tackle the conditions all over again. Maybe running hard between the wickets — ones, twos and even threes will have to be picked up in order to keep the scoreboard ticking — rather than resorting to the big hits might be the key.

It is not just the batsmen who struggled to adapt. Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jaywardene said, “When we were fielding the challenge for us was the wind. The bowlers found it difficult with it being windy as well. This venue is throwing up a lot of different challenges but you just need to adapt.” It was a view echoed by Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as well. “Not only the bowlers but even the batters need to get used to the conditions. Even the fielders have to be positioned in the right areas because this is a very big field,” MS Dhoni had said, according to the report.