Perth: India pacer Arshdeep Singh described it as a “blessing” to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli, brushing aside concerns over the star batter’s eight-ball duck in India’s seven-wicket defeat to Australia in the first ODI.
Calling Kohli a master of the 50-over format, Arshdeep expressed confidence that the veteran would bounce back strongly in the remainder of the series.
“He has played more than 300 matches for India, so form is just a word for him,” Arshdeep said after the match. “He knows how to get going. It’s always a blessing to share the dressing room with him, and I feel there’ll be plenty of runs from him in the coming games.”
When asked how Kohli feels about now playing just one format, Arshdeep smiled and said, “He has mastered this one. I don’t know how he feels about it — I’ll ask him and maybe tell you in the next press conference.”
The left-arm seamer also praised Shubman Gill, who was leading India for the first time in ODIs, saying he expected the young skipper to be a “bowler’s captain” like his predecessors Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
“I’ve played very few ODIs, so I can’t compare much. But both Virat bhai and Rohit bhai were proper bowlers’ captains. Even today, Shubman backed our plans and told us to bowl freely and enjoy the moment,” he said.
Arshdeep added that the team tried to express themselves despite posting a below-par total, emphasizing Gill’s message to stay positive.
Discussing the conditions at the Optus Stadium, Arshdeep said the pitch was good for batting but frequent rain interruptions made it hard for players to maintain focus.
“If you spent time at the crease, runs were there to be had — we saw that in KL and Axar’s partnership. But the rain breaks made it tough for batters to keep their concentration. Credit to the Australian bowlers too — they bowled in the right areas and used the conditions well,” he concluded.
