Sri Lanka v India: Won't let captaincy affect my batting, says Virat Kohli

Colombo: India Test skipper Virat Kohli said on Wednesday captaincy won’t be an added pressure for him in the tough assignment in Sri Lanka and he will look to play good cricket in the three-Test series starting next week. “Captaincy and batting are two aspects that I will not try to mix. I do not think I need to change anything,” Kohli said while addressing reporters after their arrival in the Sri Lankan capital on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_2376358” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  India captain Virat Kohli. PTI[/caption] The 26-year-old, who will be captaining the side in a full series for the first time, said it is going to be a competitive series as both India and Sri Lanka are currently in the rebuilding stage. “It is going to be a very competitive series from the aspect that both sides have young players who have performed well,” he said. Former skipper Kumar Sangakkara will retire after the second Test at Galle and Kohli said it would present a big challenge to Sri Lanka. India has not won a Test series in Sri Lanka since 1993 but Kohli said he would not be paying any attention to this fact and will look to play good cricket. “When I came here to play the first ODI series I was told that India had not won a ODI series for 25 years. I felt no pressure then. We are here to play good cricket, every series for us is a part of our plan we want to put in for the next five to six years,” he said. Sri Lanka go into the series after a dismal home series against Pakistan, where they lost in all three formats of the game. This will be India’s first three-Test series in the subcontinent since their 1-1 draw in Sri Lanka five years back. PTI