Kohli wants India to harness scoreboard pressure

In speaking about Cheteshwar Pujara's strike rate, just after the Kanpur Test, Virat Kohli reminisced - sort of - of the days when Pujara used to score quick, dominating double-centuries against visiting spinners. That was at the tail-end of a time when India used to bury visiting teams under a mountain of runs and watch them crumble under the scoreboard pressure. India have won four of their last five Tests at home, but on pitches that weren't typically Indian their batsmen have struggled. A plausible reason is that if it is extremely difficult for Hashim Amla to score on, it is going to be difficult for Pujara too, if not as difficult.

A win is a win, though, and India have been happy with them. Even on surfaces that turned from the first hour, there have been periods when India's batsmen have threatened to dominate, but with so many variables to account for they weren't able to follow through. Only one man has scored a century since the start of the last season - Ajinkya Rahane, twice and often lower-order runs from Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin proved the difference.

A day before the Kolkata Test, in conditions expected to help batsmen according to Kohli, the captain spoke about the need to put runs on the board.

"As a home side, we feel we are able to put big runs on the board, that obviously puts pressure on the opposition regardless of the wicket we are playing on," Kohli said. "I felt that even in the last game we had a chance of getting 400-plus, but we didn't capitalise. So those are the things we want to correct. Once you have a big score on the board, the opposition feels they have to work that extra bit or bat a session-and-a-half more than they would like to. That gives you an advantage in the game."

This assumes more importance especially if the Eden Gardens pitch plays as Kohli expects it to. This is the first Kolkata Test after the death of former Cricket Association of Bengal president Jagmohan Dalmiya and former curator Prabir Mukherjee. This is also the first first-class match since the whole square was re-laid. Not many know what exactly to expect, but Kohli said: "The wicket is what we see in Calcutta more often than not. It's generally a very good batting wicket more often than not. We are expecting the same."

In Kanpur, India looked set to get 450. They batted on the first day, when conditions were best for run-scoring, and got off to an excellent start. As it happens on such pitches, one ball turned a little too much, Pujara fell even though he reached it on the half-volley and the incoming batsmen found it tough. Kohli was one of them, top-edging a hook in the first innings and a slog sweep in the second. The thing with Kohli though, over the last year or so, has been the quickness with which he goes to work on his mistakes.

In the lead-up to this Test, he has batted against a rubber ball, training himself to control an object that bounces more but not necessarily at a sharp pace. "Rubber ball was because we play three formats and we sometimes do tend to bat in a flow," Kohli said. "It is very important to work on skills that bring stability as well, which you already have but it is about repeating those things. It was all about wanting to control the ball that is bouncing and not coming at pace. That was the idea behind that.

"Cricket is a game where you prepare well but the result cannot be in your hand all the time. Especially batting, where you have only one chance. If you get caught off a no-ball it is different. Generally cricket is a game of chances, but preparation is in my hand. I look to that 100% every time I walk on to practise."

Kohli's insistence on big runs and scoreboard pressure could also mean persisting with six batsmen and trusting the two spinners to do the job. If this is indeed a more traditional Indian pitch that starts to break up towards the end of the third day, India will need all the scoreboard pressure they can muster in order to help R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

Difficult pitches haven't always been the reason for India's top order failing to capitalise on starts. Two months ago in Antigua, India nearly exposed the tail and it was Ashwin's century and partnership with Kohli that batted West Indies out of the game.

Ashwin has had a bit of discomfort in the lead-up to the Kolkata Test with a corn on the middle finger of his right hand. He didn't bowl in the nets, but had a hit, which suggested he should be fine. Kohli said as much and he would love for himself and his batsmen to not burden Ashwin and Jadeja with run-scoring duties.