India clinched the T20I series against New Zealand 5-0, but there were moments in the series, when the side was under the pump and New Zealand were bossing proceedings. However, the Indian team showed zeal and remarkable spirit as they kept applying pressure and eventually, New Zealand unravelled. As per Virat Kohli, this is the biggest positive of the side and this mentality change has happend as the side has worked hard off the field on attaining a never-say-die attitude. The captain also said that once the side got into an unassailable lead in the series, the players started aiming for the bigger picture and started contributing for the greater good of the team.
“When I became the captain, it took me time to understand how the team is reacting, you have to understand your players, it takes time to do everything. The mindset of winning from any position is something we have had from the first day, Kohli told reporters ahead of the first ODI against the Kiwis.
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“We were 3-0 up in the series, it was easy for everyone to think about their individual performances and take it easy. But everyone wanted to win 5-0, we have good players overall as they all see the big picture. We have worked really hard and now the results are there for everyone to see. As a team, we are playing really good collective cricket,” he added.
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Changes to the Indian side for the ODI series
Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the rest of the ODI series and Mayank Agarwal has been named his replacement. Ahead of the match, Virat Kohli confirmed a debut for Prithvi Shaw and also said that KL Rahul will bat in the middle order.
{{/usCountry}}Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the rest of the ODI series and Mayank Agarwal has been named his replacement. Ahead of the match, Virat Kohli confirmed a debut for Prithvi Shaw and also said that KL Rahul will bat in the middle order.
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“It is unfortunate that Rohit cannot be part of the ODI series, the impact he has had is there for everyone to see. We do not have any ODI tournaments to look up to, so it is ideal for him to get recovered. In ODI cricket, Prithvi is definitely going to start, KL will play in the middle-order. We want him to get accustomed to keep and play in the middle,” Kohli told reporters ahead of the first ODI.