I used to dream of doing what Sachin did in Sharjah: Virat Kohli

Bangalore: Virat Kohli indicated that India would prefer chasing rather than setting a target if the home side wins the toss in Saturday’s series-decider cricket one-dayer against Australia in Bangalore. “Personally I feel good to chase because you know the target to meet. (We) can plan better and analyse how to play in different situations. I (also) feel good to calculate and play, which bowler to target and which ball to hit,” he told reporters at the pre-match press conference. [caption id=“attachment_1206785” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Virat Kohli scores hundreds at an unprecedented rate in ODI cricket. PTI[/caption] “While batting first, we need to assess the batting conditions and big partnerships are important to score high. Whether batting first or second, partnership is very crucial for the team. We need to be in strong position,” he added. The seven-match series is now levelled 2-2 after the Ranchi and Cuttack ODIs were washed out and India’s both wins have come while batting second, with the home side recording the second and third highest ever successful run chases in ODI history. Kohli said the series has turned out to be a thrilling contest between the two teams, especially the way India have fought back from difficult situations. “Personally, my form has been pleasing for me so far. Hopefully, I can do it once again in the last game,” he said. “We need to execute our plans to win the series, which has been a hard-fought battle so far.” He said the home team has no fitness issues and all the players are fit to play tomorrow’s match. When told that he is being seen as someone who can break some of Sachin Tendulkar’s ODI records, Kohli said, “I used to dream of doing what Sachin did single-handedly against Pakistan in 1998 in Sharjah. “But now we have so many talented batsmen like Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, who have given great starts. They have been brilliant at the top and have given me a good platform to go and express myself. The credit has to go to everyone in the team,” he said. Kohli has been the most consistent Indian batsman in the series so far having hit two of the three fastest hundreds (off 52 and 61 balls respectively) by an Indian in the second and sixth ODIs but he said winning is more important than personal records. “It has been good so far. I never expected get a 100 in 50 plus balls and another 100 in 60 balls,” he said. “Winning is the best drug one can have and winning is more important than records. A win tomorrow will give us a lot of confidence for the two Tests against the West Indies. We will do our best to give a winning farewell to Sachin,” he added. Asked how much does technique help him to smash quality bowlers, Kohli said, “I keep working on that in practice sessions. It gives me a lot of confidence practising on my technique.” PTI