Only results matter, says Kohli as he loses no sleep over SA getting India's No.1 spot ahead of today's ODI series kick-off v NZ
'Show no mercy,' the popular track by Slayer seems to be a huge hit with the Indian cricket team these days. Not only are the Men in Blue making it a habit of winning every series, Virat Kohli & Co. have been clinching them hands down as well. India have dished out ruthless performances since the start of this year — beating England 2-1, West Indies 3-1, Sri Lanka 5-0 and Australia 4-1. In the Champions Trophy, Kohli's men reached the final, losing only two matches in the tournament. India will aim to continue their merciless march as they take on New Zealand in the three-match ODI series which gets underway today at the Wankhede Stadium. India also enjoy a phenomenal record against the Kiwis at home, having won all their five bilateral series. Another incentive for Team India to do well against New Zealand is to reclaim the No. 1 ranking from South Africa, who are ahead on the basis of decimal points.
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Virat Kohli
However, for captain Kohli, playing good cricket is of paramount importance. "We don't think of rankings. We had a rest period. South Africa were playing games during that [period]. You can't be frustrated sitting at home, knowing your rankings have gone. We just want to play good cricket, we have been playing good cricket and it continues to be our main goal. We are really happy with what we are doing," Kohli stressed. "Rankings will keep going up and down. Someone will go up in points. It doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, you need to contribute towards the team's wins. Rankings, ratings… all these things are definitely incentives to do well, but that's not the ultimate goal.
"You have to focus on the process. That's going to be the goal this series as well," he added. There has been no drop in intensity and that has been one of the most impressive aspects of Kohli's team. Virtually everything that Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri are experimenting with is turning gold. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have not let the team feel any impact of R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's absence. Yadav and Chahal's stupendous show has also taken Kohli by surprise. "We always had it in mind to bring wrist spinners into play. We honestly didn't think of playing two together, but they are so good together that it is very tempting to play them every game," he said.
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