India vs New Zealand: I can’t judge Rahane’s form, only he knows what he is going through, says Kohli

Don’t
see
anything
that
needs
correction
in
my
batting

Kohli
hasn’t
scored
an
international
hundred
since
the
Pink
Ball
Test
in
Kolkata
against
Bangladesh
in
2019
but
over
the
past
two
years,
he
hasn’t
felt
any
alarm
about
the
manner
of
his
dismissals.

“We
stick
to
the
process
but
if
the
mode
of
dismissal
is
repetitive
then
there’s
something
we
need
to
address.
See,
it’s
about
playing
60-70
balls
to
get
a
feel
for
it.

“Sometimes
those
things
happen
naturally
and
sometimes
they
don’t,
but
the
only
constant
is
that
you
work
hard
and
trust
the
process.
That
shouldn’t
waiver
because
that
comes
from
personal
experience,”
the
skipper,
who
is
now
the
first
Indian
player
to
win
50
matches
across
each
format,
said.

Only
when
mistakes
are
repetitive
that
they
need
urgent
redressal.

“You
have
to
keep
an
eye
on
evolving
and
weed
out
repetitive
mistakes,
those
need
to
be
ironed
out.
You
have
to
understand
and
believe
that
you
can
overcome
these
slumps.
That’s
the
battle,
the
believing.”

Gill-Iyer
in
middle
order?
Needs
discussion,
says
skipper

The
skipper
predictably
kept
cards
close
to
his
chest
when
it
came
to
divulging
combination
for
the
South
Africa
Tests
starting
December
26.

With
the
middle-order
looking
wobbly
and
both
Shreyas
Iyer
and
Shubman
Gill
performing
well
against
New
Zealand,
some
spots
will
be
up
for
grabs
and
the
skipper
did
indicate
that
some
serious
deliberations
will
happen
in
the
coming
days.

“Again
that’s
a
discussion
that
needs
to
take
place.
Who
we
think
are
the
specialists
for
certain
positions
and
so
on
will
be
covered
there.
These
aren’t
things
I
can
answer
in
a
press
conference,
we
need
to
sit
down
with
it
and
come
to
collective
decisions.

“That’s
the
same
process
we
will
follow.
Everyone
puts
in
their
ideas
and
then
we
make
our
decision,”
said
Kohli.

But
with
Iyer,
Mayank
Agarwal,
and
Mohammed
Siraj
all
performing
well,
it’s
actually
a
good
headache
to
have.

“Always
good
to
know
exactly
what
you
want
to
do
before
heading
to
a
series
like
South
Africa,”
he
echoed
coach
Rahul
Dravid’s
sentiments.

Performance
like
this
will
help
Mayank
build
his
character

Mayank
Agarwal
was
unfortunate
to
miss
out
on
the
England
tour
as
he
suffered
from
concussion
before
the
opening
Test
and
then
KL
Rahul
grabbed
his
chance.

The
skipper
is
happy
that
with
innings
of
150
and
62
against
New
Zealand,
Agarwal
is
back
with
a
bang.

“Great
application
from
him.
…You
need
to
have
a
lot
of
character,
and
he
has
plenty
of
that.
It’s
not
just
about
riding
the
wave
and
playing
on,
it’s
about
evolution
and
he
has
constantly
done
that,”
Kohli
said.

“Also,
a
performance
like
this
will
build
character
and
help
him
going
forward,
not
only
as
a
batsman
but
also
as
a
person.

“He’s
definitely
an
asset
and
he
has
fantastic
character.
These
innings
will
give
him
a
lot
of
confidence,”
he
added.

Siraj
doesn’t
bank
on
conditions

On
a
track
where
New
Zealand
pacers
Tim
Southee
and
Kyle
Jamieson
struggled,
Siraj
literally
spit
fire
during
an
early
burst
in
the
opposition’s
first
innings.
Kohli
said
he
wasn’t
surprised.

“He
has
come
a
long
way.
He
has
a
lot
of
skill
and
talent.
The
way
he
bowls
and
puts
effort,
you
think
he’s
going
to
pick
up
wickets
always.
That’s
a
special
thing
to
have
when
the
pitches
are
tough
and
wickets
are
not
falling,”
Kohli
said
about
the
Indian
pace
attack’s
new
‘X’ factor.

Siraj
is
actually
turning
into
a
bowler
who
isn’t
dependant
on
the
conditions.
“He
doesn’t
really
bank
on
conditions,
he
has
a
lot
of
skill
and
he
banks
on
that
instead.
He
can
make
important
breakthroughs.

“See,
even
at
the
Lord’s,
when
the
ball
stopped
swinging,
he
was
making
the
ball
move
and
gave
us
some
crucial
breakthroughs,”
Kohli
remembered.

“He’s
in
the
best
headspace
as
a
bowler.
Now,
it’s
about
staying
there
and
staying
fit,”
he
concluded.