India vs New Zealand: ‘Jadeja outstanding, Chahal a banker’: Virat Kohli lauds all-round performance

IND vs NZ: Speaking at the end of the match, captain Virat Kohli hailed the performance of his bowlers and lauded them for being relentless and disciplined right throughout the match

After flexing their batting muscle in the first match, it was the turn of the Indian bowlers to show their pedigree as they hunted in packs to restrict New Zealand to 132/5 in their 20 overs. On a pitch where Kane Williamson elected to bat, this was never going to be enough and powered by KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, India cantered home by 7 wickets.

Indian captain Virat Kohli(AP)

Speaking at the end of the match, captain Virat Kohli hailed the performance of his bowlers and lauded them for being relentless and disciplined right throughout the match. The pitch had assistance for the spinners and Ravindra Jadeja was the star of the show as he conceded just 18 runs in his quota of 4 overs and picked up a couple of wickets as well.

“I think we backed it up with another good performance. The bowlers stood up and took control. It was a very good feature for us as team. That helped us to restrict New Zealand to such a low total,” Kohli said after the match.

He also spoke about the surface and how it gripped which helped his spinners and lauded the work of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja.

“We understood the angles of the field better, how the pitch was playing and I had to think on my feet as a captain. The ball gripped for the spinners and I think Jadeja was outstanding. Chahal was a banker. Bumrah was amazing as well, and Shami and Shardul and Shivam making very good contributions with the ball but I think we backed it up in the field more importantly,” the skipper further added.

KL Rahul was named man of the match for his 50 which guided the chase perfectly. “Different circumstances, the target was different and the pitch was different. I had a different responsibility. We lost Rohit and Kohli early, so I had to stay in there. The understanding of my game and reading my game has helped me. I always need to keep the team ahead. That’s been my mantra over the last few games,” Rahul said at the post-match presentation.