IND vs ENG 2021: "Compared to our previous tour, we have a more experienced side this time" - Virat Kohli

Team India skipper Virat Kohli has stated that Team India have grown in confidence and experience since they last toured England in 2018. India lost that series by a 1-4 margin, but Virat Kohli ended the series as the highest scorer with 593 runs across five Tests.

At a pre-match press conference on the eve of the 1st Test, Virat Kohli spoke at length about how the time India have spent in England before the series will benefit them in the upcoming series.

"We have been in England for quite some time now. Due to that, we got acquainted with the sudden weather changes, which is a common phenomenon here. All these small things matter very much. Mentally you get more comfortable with time. So, that is definitely one advantage from our point of view," said Virat Kohli.

"Compared to our previous tour to England in 2018, we have a more experienced side this time. Some of the younger players in the squad have arrived here the second time after putting in good performances. I am hopeful that we can execute our plans well this time, even the ones we wanted to execute in the previous series but unfortunately couldn't," he added.

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Our belief and experience have grown since the previous tour of 2018: Team India skipper Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli also stated the team's belief and experience had grown since their last visit to England. Since that tour, India have managed to beat Australia twice in their own backyard, a feat unmatched by other teams in the last decade.

The Indian captain opined that failure is part and parcel of the game. According to him, it is important that if some players fail to execute their plans, then the players who are in form should step up their game and take responsibility for the team.

Not all of them will be successful in executing their plans, but we have quite a few players who can step up in their place and handle the pressure situations, even if some of them fail. Failure is a common thing that can happen to anyone, but I believe that any one of the players in the team will rise to the occasion on the given day and pull the team out of difficult situations. This belief and experience of us have grown since the previous tour of 2018," said Virat Kohli.