India captain Virat Kohli says it is down to players to keep Test cricket alive

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“I don’t know about the mentality of other people, but for me this is the absolute pinnacle of the game. I will give my all to Test cricket for as long as I play”; Kohli says it will take “relentless madness and the pursuit of excellence” for India to win in England for the first time since 2007.

India captain Virat Kohli says it is up to the players to ensure the survival of test cricket as he prepares to face England in a five-match series.

Kohli’s men will face Joe Root’s team in the first test at Trent Bridge starting Wednesday, and the teams will meet in the format for the second time this year after India won 3-1 at home in February and March. , after having come back 1-0. down.

The India captain says his passion for test cricket will never fade and he hopes his teammates will appreciate the game so much as to make sure it doesn’t miss out on the schedule amid the boom in cue ball cricket.

Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports commentator and Indian cricket partner Dinesh Karthik in an interview that you can watch in full on Sky sports during the first test, Kohli said. “Test cricket probably would have struggled, say, three years ago, but I think it’s the players that keep test cricket alive. It depends on the quality of the cricket.

“To be honest, if we didn’t have the mindset to play test cricket and be so passionate about it, that would have given test cricket a huge blow to the whole world.

“The World Test Championship is a very positive move, as there is everything at stake in every Test match you play, but it all depends on what the players want from Test cricket.

“If it looks like a format where you don’t want to push yourself for five days, there is no survival.

“If watching TV people think, ‘I don’t want to miss a ball because these 11 guys are going to attack these 11 guys for five days to get a result,’ that’s what will keep test cricket alive.

“I feel like there is not enough motivation on the part of the people towards test cricket – that’s what I see and why you can see teams that invariably give up very easily and can’t find a way to get back into the game.

“I don’t know about other people’s mentality, but for me this is the absolute pinnacle of the game. I will give my all to Test cricket for as long as I play, I can assure you.”

Kohli aims to lead India, second only to World Test Championship winners New Zealand in the ICC Test standings, to a first Test Series victory in England since 2007.

Kohli has scored over 7,500 runs in 92 events for India so far

The 32-year-old, part of the Indian teams defeated 3-1 and 4-1 in England in 2014 and 2018 respectively, says it will take “relentless madness and the pursuit of excellence every day” for him to your team succeeds.

However, he is not putting the series above any other and says that the most important thing for him is that his team continue to play with the positive mindset that it demands.

On winning in England, Kohli added: “It takes relentless madness and the pursuit of excellence every day in a series of five events.

“Telling yourself ‘I want to do the hard work and get into tough situations.’ You have to be prepared for that kind of workload and mental load.

“For me personally, it means nothing more to me than winning a Test match or a Test series anywhere else in the world. They are not anecdotes or milestones in my career.

“We seek to win all the test matches and that is what matters most to me. That is a culture, these are results.

“For Indian cricket, yes, it would be a huge thing. We have done it before and we can do it again, but this culture is what I love the most for me.

“Even if we lose a test match, I want us to go for the win and not give up or try to save a test match on day three or day four. That is simply not acceptable.”

Watch the first England-India test live at Sky Sports The Hundred and Sky Sports main event starting at 10am. M. From Wednesday.

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