India clinically thrashed Pakistan in their opening match in the Champions Trophy on Sunday and captain Virat Kohli expects his team to keep the momentum going.
Defending champions India defeated arch rivals Pakistan by 124 runs in Birmingham to get off to a dream start in the tournament.
India’s next opponents are the fairly inexperienced Sri Lankans, who lost to South Africa in their opener on Monday, but Kohli knows a thing or two about momentum and how quickly things can change in one-day cricket.
“Every game in this tournament is big, but we have a side with a few youngsters coming in and gradually getting towards strengthening their careers for India,” Kohli told reporters.
“So I think from that, from the team’s point of view, it’s a massive win for us. Just the way we played and the confidence we showed throughout the game was something that was very pleasing to see as a captain. Even though we lost the toss, guys were raring and ready to go, willing to take up the pressure. That gave all of us the confidence to start striking the ball well, but initially the openers gave us a good start as well. As I said, it’s a clinical performance from us, from the team’s point of view, yes, it is indeed a very big win.”
India play Sri Lanka in their second match on Thursday.
Indian cricket team avoids Mallya at Kohli's event in London
Champions Trophy Photos: Fans' vibe add to drama in Indo-Pak tie
CT17: Yuvraj dedicates his innings to Cancer survivors
Pandya admits he was under pressure in Pakistan clash
'Clinical performance by India', 'Pakistan played like a No 8 team'