Kohli does not want comparison between players within the team

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ANI Cricket
Last Updated : Jan 13 2020 | 5:20 PM IST

India skipper Virat Kohli is averse to drawing a comparison between players of the same squad as it is against the team culture.

Men in Blue experimented a lot in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka and major dilemma the team might face is in choosing their opening pair as all three batsmen - Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma - have been on a sublime form.

"All guys in form is a good thing. We will figure out what combination we want to go in with and there is a possibility that all three might play. It will be interesting to see what balance we want to take in on the field. I do not at all support people comparing players within the team," Kohli said in the pre-match press conference.

"I want to say this publicly because I see so many features and programmes being made about this versus this. We are a team and playing together. I don't find the sense in heat is going up and they are fighting for one spot. It does not send the right message as far as the team culture is concerned," he added.

In the third ODI against Sri Lanka, the skipper came out to bat very low in the order. Kohli put team on priority and said he is not insecure about where he bats.

"I am not possessive about where I play and I am not insecure about where I bat. Being the captain of the team, it's my job to make sure that the next lot is also ready as well. Your job as a captain is not only to look after the team right now but also to prepare a team that you can leave behind when you eventually pass it on to someone else," he said.

Reflecting on the upcoming series, Kohli said it is going to be exciting as it has always been a competitive series against Australia.

"They are a stronger side than the side that came last time to India but still won the series. You can have the most experienced or most skilled players but if you do not play well as a team in that series, you will not win which happened with us last time and when we went to Australia similar thing happened with them," Kohli said.

"This shows how competitive the series is between the two teams and it is never a dominating series. It is always 2-3 or 2-1 that kind of series. It is going to be exciting, it is a short series and five-match series would have been more exciting," he added.

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First Published: Jan 13 2020 | 3:19 PM IST

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