Indian captain Virat Kohli is a disappointed man after his side slumped to a defeat in the fourth Test at Southampton and also conceded the series in the process. Speaking to reporters after the match the skipper conceded that his team needs to learn to identify the crucial moments and start better in overseas series.
"Look we've spoken about the fact that even during the match when we're in a driving position, we should be able to capitalise on it and not let the opposition come in, and fight back again and again. We can take a leaf out of that," Kohli said.
He also said that the team needs to be relentless and be more expressive at the beginning of any tour as this sets a tone for the rest of the series and this is where the Indian team ceded ground to England even in the ongoing series.
'As a group, we need to more relentless'
"Nottingham we did that, for three days we were relentless and we're on top. So, we need to think about how to start a series like that as well. As a group, we need to be more relentless when we start a series and be a bit more expressive and fearless at the beginning of a series," Kohli further said.
Kohli believed that although a long series allows teams to make a comeback, then momentum plays a big role and as such the team needs to realise that they have to play fearless cricket right from the outset so that they do not have play catch up cricket later in the series.
Despite being in a dominant position in Edgbaston and then again in Southampton, India allowed the game to drift and then eventually succumbed to pressure to go down in the match and then in the series.
The captain has said that the team cannot be content merely by competing in overseas conditions, but they should look to win games more often and this can only happen if they win key moments in a Test match.
"When you come so close, there is an art of crossing the line as well, which we will have to learn. We have the ability, which is why we are getting close to a result. But when a pressure situation comes, how we react to it, is something we have to work on a bit," Kohli said.
India trail 1-3 in the 5-match series. The fifth and final Test match, which will also be Alastair Cook's final match of his career, begins at the Oval on September 7.
