Virat Kohli was asked if pooja paath would help India's cause when they take on Australia in the make-or-break match in the World Cup T 20 at Mohali on Sunday.
“Do I look like a pooja paath guy to you? I make sure I do all the hard work and hope that it pays off. I back myself to go out there and win the game,” replied the star batsman.
If not a prayer, the Men in Blue will have to lift their game several notches against the Australians. The match will decide which of the two teams will go into the next stage of the tournament. Virat Kohli dubbed it as the virtual quarterfinal.
Saturday was a day of brainstorming in both camps. The Australians are hoping they will have a pitch similar to the green-tinged one on which they defeated Pakistan by 21 runs on Friday. Mohali doesn't have the reputation of a rank turner.
As has been proved many a time, slower conditions favour India, but their batsmen struggled on just such a surface against New Zealand in Nagpur. So they too may welcome a pitch on which the ball comes onto the bat on Sunday. And Australia, with their batting order settled finally -- it worked like a well-oiled machine against Pakistan -- would be hoping that Mohali will offer them a green top on Sunday.
Hear Kohli's interaction with the media below:
Fans can expect an exciting game and all eyes are set on the two fierce performers: Shane Watson and Virat Kohli.
India's worry is that its strong batting lineup has performed below par with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma yet to shine in the competition.
The home side would by now have been out of the competition but for a self-destructive Bangladesh and a brilliant stumping by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in their previous game. Suresh Raina scored 30 in that match but he is facing the heat along with Yuvraj Singh, who will have the added pressure of performing on his home ground.
Kohli, however, is probably in the best form of his life but despite firing on all cylinders so far, he knows quite well the uncertainties that are intrinsic to cricket, especially in the shortest format.
“It is very difficult to be consistent in this format and you need to come to terms with that. This format requires you to be sharply focussed. So we need to stay in the moment and not get carried away,” said Kohli ahead of the Australia match.
“Aussies will be tough as usual but we will take heart from our 3-0 win down under in January, ” Kohli said.
Australia on the other hand have been improving with every game and brought off a convincing win against Pakistan in a must-win match on Friday. Shane Watson thinks playing India in India is the ultimate challenge for an Aussie. “Our team knows we have a daunting task on hand tomorrow,” he said.
It's going to be be Watson's final international cricket match. He has announced that he would hang his boots following the World Twenty20.
"It's good that it has come down to a simple equation against India," Watson said. "It's going to be very exciting."
Watson scored a brisk 44 not out off 21 deliveries while batting at no. 6 against Pakistan, helping his team post a huge 193-4 win. He said coming in lower in the order has paid off for him.
If Australia is going to have a chance against India, he added, Virat Kohli's scoring and Ravichandran Ashwin's spin would have to be countered. "They've got skillful batsmen, they have got skillful bowlers even if the ball is not turning that much. We know we have to put them under pressure straight up to try and give them less chance of clicking as a team because we know how dangerous they are," he said.
(With inputs from PTI and AP)