Australia vs India 2018-19: Our Immediate Focus Is to Prepare For World Cup - Virat Kohli

Indian National Cricket team skipper Virat Kohli revealed that their immediate focus is to prepare for the upcoming 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales starting from May 30. Meanwhile, India begin their preparation with a three-match ODI series against Australia commencing on January 12 (Saturday) at Sydney.

With the Border-Gavaskar series done and dusted, all eyes will now shift to the fifty-over format. India, who registered their first-ever series win Down Under, will look to continue the brand of cricket they have been playing in the last few years. However, Australia have struggled to put up the desired performance in the previous year. They have won only one out of 13 encounters which finds them in the sixth spot. On the other hand, India sits pretty well in the second spot of the ICC Rankings and will aim to consolidate their positions.

But Virat Kohli has divulged that their main aim is to prepare for the mega tournament in May. They will look to find their best combination ahead of the World Cup so that they can go for the glory.

“Our immediate focus is to prepare for the World Cup. We understand where we need to head as a team,” Kohli said on the eve of the first ODI.

In addition to, Virat Kohli spoke on the furore surrounding Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, explaining that the controversial comments made by the two cricketers on an India cricket show do not reflect the views of the Indian cricket team and that they nothing more than strictly personal opinions.

Following the ODI at Sydney, Indian National Cricket team moves to Oval and Melbourne for the second and third ODI.