“I’m not at all nervous about being in England”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

India captain Virat Kohli is unfazed by the prospect of playing an International Cricket Council (ICC) event in England following a horrific terrorist attack earlier this week.

Twenty two people were killed and dozens more injured in a suicide bombing at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester.

While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have voiced “concerns” about the national team’s security, Kohli is confident that everything will run smoothly.

“For a few people it can be a nervous time, but as a squad you don’t have time to focus on those factors,” he said. “You’re here for a sporting tournament, and that remains paramount.

“I don’t feel any nervousness; I saw life resume pretty normally, and that’s always a healthy sign. That’s very reassuring. I’m sure the whole squad feels that way and I’m not at all nervous about being in England — and I’m excited to play the tournament.

“What happened here was really saddening and very disturbing for everyone, especially in a place like England, (which) has not had many of these incidents in the past.”

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka skipper Angelo Mathews also has faith in the security measures that have been put in place.

Sri Lanka have been involved in a terrorist incident before as in March 2009, their team bus was attacked by armed militants in Pakistan.

“The manager has briefed us, the security personnel have briefed us — we don’t have to really worry about what’s going on,” Mathews said. “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the incident in Manchester. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected. It’s obviously horrifying; we had to go through 30 years of (civil) war and know how bad it is.”