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Cricket Players‘Apart from 30 minutes, 2019 one of the best for Indian cricket,’ Virat Kohli after series win against West Indies
India vs West Indies 3rd ODI: India captain Virat Kohli said 2019 has been one of the years for Indian cricketers barring the 30 minutes of poor cricket which costed them the World Cup.
Trust Virat Kohli to always be straightforward. Be with the bat in hand or addressing the media, he oozes confidence with his evert move. Sunday was no different. Just like his assured drives and confident pull shots, Virat Kohli had no doubts in terming 2019 as one of the best years of Indian cricket. At the same time, the Indian captain did not forget to mention the ‘30 minutes’ poor cricket which costed them the ODI World Cup in England.
India on Sunday chased down a tricky target of 316 in the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack to beat the West Indies by four wickets and take the three-match series 2-1. This was there 10th straight series victory over the Windies - the most against any opposition.
It was the Men in Blue’s last match of the year in which India finished second in ODI rankings and continued their reign at the top of Test rankings, and captain Virat Kohli said that it has been one of the best years for Indian cricket, barring their loss in the semifinal of the ODI World Cup.
Also Read: How Jadeja’s plan after Kohli’s dismissal helped India ace tricky chase
“The year 2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket. Apart from the 30 minutes in the World Cup, it’s been a great year. We’ll keep chasing that ICC trophy. But apart from that, the way we’ve played has been satisfying,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Kohli was referring to the 30 minutes in India’s chase against New Zealand in the World Cup semifinal at Manchester. Chasing 240 for a spot in the final , India lost their first 4 wickets for only 24 runs and in the end lost the match by 18 runs despite Ravindra Jadeja (77) and MS Dhoni’s (50) efforts.
Kohli said that what has been particularly satisfying is the way the Indian fast bowling unit has grown into one of the best in the world, often taking the sheen away from the performances of the spinners. He said that this makes them a more confident touring side.
“Having a bunch of fast bowlers who can bowl out any opposition anywhere and them taking the attention away from the spinners in India is a huge achievement. We feel we have it in us to win series overseas, not just the odd game,” he said.
Kohli once again played a key role in India’s chase, scoring 85 off 81 balls as India completed the highest successful run chase in this venue.
“Dew is a big factor and since it was a good batting pitch, all you needed was a mini partnership and the opposition will start to crumble,” he said.
The West Indies, however, seemed to have got right back into the game when Kohli was dismissed in the 47th over with India still needing 30 runs to win off 23 balls. But in came Shardul Thakur and smashed 17 runs off six balls to take away any advantage that the visitors may have gained.
“It was outstanding to see others finishing the game. Honestly, when I got out I had a nervous phase, but I looked back at Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) and he looked confident. They just changed the game in three overs. Watching from outside is way more difficult,” said Kohli.
Navdeep Saini made his ODI debut on Sunday and picked up two wickets. K.L. Rahul and Shreyas Iyer made cases for themselves at the top of the order and the contentious number four position, respectively, with consistent performances throughout the series.
Kohli said India are looking to blood younger players so that they can take the responsibility when the time comes.
“We are in the process of trying out people, see how they react under pressure. Whether people want to accept it or not, the younger people will have to step up in a few years,” he said.
(With IANS inputs)
