Virat Kohli says he is prepared to put himself out of his comfort zone to beat England in the LV= Insurance Test Series which begins at Trent Bridge on Wednesday. 

The India captain averages 52.25 in Nottinghamshire, helped by scores of 97 and 103 on his last visit to West Bridgford in 2018. According to Kohli, preparation, experience and a gritty approach gives his country the best chance of a positive outcome. 

“We are well prepared,” Kohli said.

“The situation [relaxing of restrictions] has allowed us to acclimatise and get used to the weather because it can change drastically and quickly.

“At the same time, playing in different conditions and getting used to how the ball behaves, it will all add to our experience which we already possess a lot of. 

“You can have all the experience in the world, but it boils down to execution and how much you want to be in those crunch moments. You cannot play in this game for a long time if you are not prepared to be in the opposite of your comfort zone.”

Kohli, whose last Test appearance was a loss against New Zealand in the World Test Championship final, did not feature in India’s warm up game against a County Select XI which included Notts’ Haseeb Hameed - who features in England’s Test squad - plus two home-grown Nottinghamshire cricketers in Lyndon James and Liam Patterson-White.

With no batsman reaching fifty at the Ageas Bowl, Kohli believes his team has the resolve to respond to the disappointment of finishing second, a result largely born out of a challenging morning session on the final day. 

“As a team we look to improve upon what we haven’t done well, and that is one aspect we need to get better at - understanding how to control damage when things are not going our way,” Kohli said.

“That’s what Test cricket is all about, going through situations and eventually capitalising when things go your way. In the Test matches where we have done that, we have ended up winning. 

“We know what we need to do, now it boils down to execution in those difficult moments.”

Execute is just what India did the last time the two sides met, at home earlier this year. 

Despite taking a 1-0 lead in the series, England ended up on the losing side of a 3-1 result. Kohli has backed his side to repeat the victorious feat, regardless of how the hosts may respond to their prior efforts.

“I have never played for landmarks or milestones, I see every game as an opportunity to test myself,” he said.

“Whether there is a mental advantage [from the previous series] depends on the batsmen and how much scarring they carry with them.

“I can vouch for the fact we have the ability to bowl England out on a consistent basis, that is the quality we possess, and as long as we execute our plans we are confident of winning this series."

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