India are banking on their experience in their World Cup opener against South Africa and cannot take the opposition’s depleted bowling attack lightly, captain Virat Kohli said yesterday, insisting the Proteas can call upon quality replacements.
Kohli’s India are ranked second in the world and will be firm favourites as they begin their quest for a third World Cup triumph against a South African side that faces an uphill struggle after the loss of strike bowlers Dale Steyn and Lungi Ngidi.
“We need to bring all our experience to the play tomorrow to be able to make right decisions in pressure situations,” Kohli told reporters during a training session ahead of today’s match in Southampton.
“So we never take anyone lightly, and whether a few key players get injured or not, if a youngster is stepping in and he has the right mindset, he can really perform on the day... we need to maintain respect for that and focus on our strength and what we can do as a side.”
Kohli, who is captaining the Indian side for the first time in a World Cup, said his team’s late start to the tournament allows them to learn from previous games and match conditions.
“From that point of view, we would say that we have a lot of positives that we can take out of starting after everyone else.”
India have won the World Cup in 1983 and 2011, while South Africa has never won the 50-over edition, but Kohli said this year’s tournament presents a different challenge.
Kohli said the unique format of the 2019 tournament, in which every nation plays nine matches over more than a month, means that teams must adapt very quickly and that experienced teams will have an edge.
“The errors you would make when you are not that aware of game situations, they will slowly start to taper off as you play more and more cricket.”
“When you have experienced people in your team who have also grown with you as cricketers, eventually you all start making good decisions, you have discussions, you think of the right thing, sometimes instinctively.”


Kohli ready to rotate bowlers
The Indian captain is prepared to vary his World Cup attack by adopting a ‘horses for courses’ strategy.
India, the world’s number-two ranked team and one of the favourites alongside hosts England and Australia, launch their challenge against an injury-hit South Africa in Southampton today, nearly a week after the tournament started.
South Africa will be without star fast bowler Dale Steyn, whose World Cup ended without him bowling a ball after he was ruled out with a shoulder injury, while fellow paceman Lungi Ngidi has yet to recover from a hamstring problem.
By contrast, India’s quicks are fit and ready to fire, having enjoyed previous success in English conditions.
Led by Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s number one ODI bowler, the team’s pace attack includes Mohamed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya.
Three specialist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja lend variety to the bowling attack.
Kohli believes rotating his bowling options gives India, the 1983 and 2011 World Cup winners, their best chance of success.
“The flexibility would matter in the bowling set-up is how we foresee things. The batting line-up will have to be consistent,” said Kohli, whose side called off their final pre-match net session because of rain at Hampshire’s headquarters ground.
“I think with match-ups in terms of playing against, if there are more left-handers then the bowling combination can alter a little bit.
“So that sort of message has been given within the team and the guys have accepted it. They understand that they will have to play certain roles at different stages in the tournament.”
Meanwhile Kohli insisted that a Proteas pace led by Kagiso Rabada remained a potent force, even without Steyn sidelined from the World Cup.
“Look whether Ngidi plays, or Steyn plays or not, Rabada is always going to be a world-class bowler and a threat to any side he plays against,” he said.