Virat Kohli: There can be a lot of changes in the playing XI

Virat Kohli, India's stand-in skipper for the first three ODIs, said the hastily-planned 5-match series against Sri Lanka would be exciting, keeping the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in mind. Kohli added, the Indian team will witness a lot of changes in the coming months to find out the perfect combination before the World Cup.

"There can be a lot of changes, a lot of twists and turns in the playing eleven. Going ahead, everyone wants to do well knowing that the World Cup is not that far away. So that's an opportunity for all these guys to step in and make a strong impact and make a strong case for themselves," Kohli told reporters on the eve of the series opener at the Barabati Stadium.

"I'm sure everyone would be geared up considering the fact that World Cup spots are up for grabs. 3 to 4 of these guys would be part of that squad. This is a very exciting series knowing that there are not many games left before the World Cup. Everyone would like to get into the groove, especially as a team. We can test our combination and need to be very sure of what we want to do in the field and not try to experiment at that particular time," he said.

Drawing parallel with the 2003 scenario, when Sourav Ganguly-led India made the World Cup final before going down to Australia, Kohli said: "Even we had a similar debate before 2003, but they made the final and it was one of our best performances. I hope we also do something exciting like that. If we have to perform, the planning should start from now. We have to set our combinations right which will depend on our campaign in the World Cup. Obviously the squad will be selected from these bunch of players," he added.

Despite the absence of regular captain MS Dhoni, who has been rested for the first three ODIs, Kohli said there is no question of any lack in intensity from his team.

"I always like being captain of the side. It gives me an opportunity to test myself to different aspects of the game. It's something that I enjoy. Especially, having a young side with not so much of experience is always an exciting thing. There's a lot you can achieve, there's a lot you can find out, experiment with. Having that sort of excitement and energy on the field is always a pleasing thing for a captain. I'm pretty glad to have a group of boys who can go out there and perform," he said.

Apart from Dhoni, India's two frontline seamers in the ODI format for quite some time now - Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami - will also miss out and Kohli said the young lads would be raring to go to impress the selectors ahead of the tour to Australia.

"Those three have been regular members of the playing eleven for the last couple of years, especially Bhuvi and Shami. Obviously MS (Dhoni) has been leading the side for quite a long time. Their experience is always valuable to us. But at the same time it would be an opportunity for guys like Wriddhiman Saha, Varun Aaron to cement their places," he said.

Asked about the hastily-planned series, Kohli said the absence of Tests would have only affected their mental preparation but it would be equally important to go Down Under riding high on confidence after winning a series.

"The only thing is that the Test series would have helped us mentally to have a bit more patience. Having similar conditions to Australia is not possible in India. But all the preparation for the World Cup would start the moment we step on Australia. We can really work on things we want to do. We would like to at least take confidence going forward into Australia. If we end up winning, it would really have a good effect on the team and create a good environment in the changing room as well," Kohli said.

Kohli further said he's a student of cricket and loves to discuss things with regular skipper Dhoni.

"I try to keep learning as much as I can. In a series like this I can at least use them. Like batting styles people have different captaincy styles as well. Obviously the thinking behind or planning is something I've really tried to learn for him. It's always nice to speak to him about a particular situation and get an explanation back," he said.