Kohli is hopeful of surface tension keeping India afloat in 3rd Test

Kohli has established a reputation of being a man with many emotions, and the most dominant of those is anxiety when he looks ahead to next week’s third Test in Ranchi, another stadium making its international debut in the longest format.

“We can’t do much about the Ranchi pitch, you know how it’s always been,” the 28-year-old said after the victory in Bengaluru, conceding any thoughts of a ‘home advantage’ when the rivalry resumes.

“It’s always been slow and low, they know exactly what to expect there and we know what to expect as well. It’s how you mentally prepare, mentally what kind of zone you are in as a team.”

Like all other home teams, India have been unapologetic about exploiting the conditions on home turf that suit them the best but the new venues, have mitigated that factor to an extent.

Kohli, however, expects his spearhead spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja to continue what they have been doing over a successful home season.

“The spinners have been outstanding and they will definitely look to back their strengths and dominate the home season as they’ve done so far,” the India captain added of the top-ranked bowlers in test cricket.

Pitch curator SB Singh has prepared three strips for the match and promised that they would lead to a fair contest between the bat and ball.

“The team will choose the strip two days before the match,” Singh told NDTV channel.

“The pitch will suit both the batsmen and bowlers, and will definitely last five days,” he added.

As for more tips on the new pitch, Kohli would contact India’s last captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who inspected the ground on Thursday.

The fourth and final Test will also be played at a new venue when the teams meet at Dharamsala on March 25.