‘Blast disturbing but it hasn’t taken our focus away from the job at hand

London : Virat Kohli arrived here heartbroken but the Manchester blast has failed to waver his focus from cricket, and he’s raring to perform in a tournament that’s of “paramount importance”.
Defending champions India will begin their campaign in the Champions Trophy with a high-profile match against archrivals Pakistan on June 4 in Birmingham, which is less than 100 miles from the affected city. “Firstly, what happened here a few days back was really saddening and very disturbing for everyone. And especially a place like England, to say the least, has not had many of these incidents happen in the past.
“So, yes, I mean, for a few people it can be sort of nervous time. But I don’t think as a squad you have time to focus on those factors, because eventually you understand that you’re here for a sporting tournament,” Kohli said on arrival.He said the players are not nervous despite the heightened security all around and relentless briefings. “…And that for us remains paramount in our thought patterns. And I personally don’t feel any nervousness as such. I saw life resume pretty normally. And that’s always a healthy sign.”
The Indian batting mainstay seemed satisfied with the security apparatus in place. “We have security briefings throughout the day. We have a lot more information in terms of specifics that we need to keep in mind. I see life resuming very normally. And obviously with the security information coming in as well, it will be very helpful for the players.”
Entering the ODI tournament after a long home Test season, followed by the IPL, Kohli stressed on the need to be fit physically as well as mentally. “I think the only challenge I feel is taking care of your body. Mentally, it’s up to individuals to base their game in a way that they can switch pretty quickly, because that is the need of the game in this day and age,” he said.“I personally don’t like to choose formats and give preference to one over the other. I like to be involved in all three equally. Try to contribute as much as I can. And I’m sure all the guys on the team think in that manner as well.