London [UK], June 7 : India skipper Virat Kohli has asserted that the team are currently playing good cricket but still they need to respect every opposition and don't need to play with arrogance.
"At the moment we are playing good cricket but that doesn't mean we play with arrogance as a team," said Kohli at the press conference ahead of India's second Champions Trophy encounter against Sri Lanka at the Oval, London on Thursday.
"We respect every opposition the same way and we intend to play the same kind of cricket against everyone," he added.
The Men in Blue would be brimming with confidence after they thrashed Pakistan by 124 runs (D/L method) at Edgbaston on Sunday and would go into their match against Sri Lanka at the Oval to be played on Thursday as clear favourites.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka find themselves in a do-or-die situation after being thrashed by South Africa in their opening match.
These comments from Kohli come after former skipper Kumar Sangakkara said that Sri Lanka should play with arrogance against India on Thursday.
"I would personally like this young Sri Lanka side to walk out at The Oval and play with the arrogance and abandon of youth," Sangakkara wrote in his column for the International Cricket Council (ICC).
"They should express their talent and play a really positive brand of cricket. If they are able to do this, then they have a chance of pulling off an upset, but it will not be easy an India team that so confidently overwhelmed Pakistan on Sunday," he added.
India is a win away from all but sealing its semi-final spot while a loss will end Sri Lanka's campaign.
"We are playing good cricket. We certainly know that as a team. I don't think you should focus on the negatives when people are saying negative things about you as a team.
Similarly, when you are playing well, you should not need to look into the praise factor as well," said the India skipper.
The 28-year-old further stated that Sri Lanka, who were termed as underdogs going into the tournament, have talented players who on their that can deliver match winning performances.
"Sri Lanka have done really well in the ICC events. They have always been a side that have reached the semis or close to reaching the semis. They have reached finals as well. No doubt they have got talented players in their team. They are a young team and are going through a transition phase," he said. "But they have the sort of players that can deliver match winning performances on their day," he added.
The familiar foes are meeting for the first time in One-Day Internationals since November 2014, when India walloped Sri Lanka 5-0 in a home series.
In the subsequent two-and-a-half-year period, the teams have gone in contrasting directions and find themselves at different ends of the ODI spectrum.
The pitches at The Oval have generally been batting friendly, but they also haven't been nightmares for bowlers.
There is a decent grass covering on the pitch for Thursday's game, and coupled with overcast conditions, bowlers should fancy their chances as well.
Squads: India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (Captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickewalla (wicketkeeper), Chamara Kapugedara, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Sekkuge Prasanna, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Lasith Malinga, Asela Gunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekara, Upul Tharanga.
Source: ANI
