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'Did the job for us for a long time' - Virat Kohli defends senior India bowler, says team will never give any excuses

While addressing a press conference ahead of India's next Super 12 clash against New Zealand in Dubai, Kohli, when asked to assess Kumar's performance, said that he won't single out any particular bowler.

Published on: Oct 31, 2021, 07:09:02 IST
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If there is one thing to be commended about Virat Kohli's captaincy, it is the zero-tolerance policy to the blame game. Time and again, he reiterates that a team can afford to lose a game of cricket and that it is okay for that to happen, and never lets anyone point a finger at his player. The fact that he defended his bowlers, including Bhuvneshwar Kumar, after India's 10-wicket loss to Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener bears testament.

Dubai, Oct 30 (ANI): India’s captain Virat Kohli with teammates during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup 2021 cricket match between India and New Zealand, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Saturday. (ANI Photo) (ANI )
Dubai, Oct 30 (ANI): India’s captain Virat Kohli with teammates during a practice session ahead of the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup 2021 cricket match between India and New Zealand, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, in Dubai on Saturday. (ANI Photo) (ANI )

While addressing a press conference ahead of India's next Super 12 clash against New Zealand in Dubai, Kohli, when asked to assess Kumar's performance, said that he won't single out any particular bowler.

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"As a bowling group we failed to pick up wickets and we understand that can happen in the sport. These are the same guys who did the job for us for a long period of time. So we understand how things went and where it went wrong."

Accepting the failure is the first step towards course correction, feels the skipper.

"We totally accept and know that we got outplayed by the opposition thoroughly. You need to accept that as a professional cricket team without any ego, without any excuses whatsoever. We have given none. And we will not give any excuses moving forward either.

"We lost as a team and that's exactly what we believe in and that exactly was the case in the previous game," remarked Kohli.

Meanwhile, India's premier bowler Bhuvi has been out of form so far this year. In 9 T20I games this year, the right-arm medium pacer has only bagged as many wickets at an average of 21.33. Moreover, in the recently-concluded IPL 2021 season, the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowler grabbed 6 wickets in 11 games.

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