Indian captain Virat Kohli had a tough start to his T20I career as a captain as the hosts were outplayed by England in the first T20I at Kanpur.
The visitors came out on top with both the ball and the bat as they chased down a below par 148 at ease and have taken a well deserved 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
Virat Kohli was quick to praise England’s effort in the game as put all their acts together to clinch a comfortable victory at the end. However, he has admitted that they were not up to the mark and will need to address the issues in the next T20I.
“ENGLAND HAVE PLAYED BETTER CRICKET THAN US TODAY. WE ACCEPT THAT. WITH THE BALL, IN THE FIELD AND WITH THE BAT, THEY WERE PRECISE. DESERVING WINNERS AT THE END OF THE DAY. YOU HAVE TO STAND UP AND APPLAUD THE OPPOSITION WHEN THEY PLAY WELL.
“TODAY ENGLAND PERFORMED THE WAY WE KNOW THEY CAN. CREDIT TO THEIR BOWLERS FOR BOWLING HARD LENGTHS, THEY EXTRACTED PACE AND BOUNCE.
“AS I SAID, THEY WERE PRECISE. EXPLOSIVE START AT THE TOP. WE PULLED THINGS BACK NICELY BUT WE WERE PROBABLY 30-35 RUNS SHORT ON THAT PITCH. THERE ARE THINGS WE NEED TO ADDRESS AND LEARN FROM THIS GAME.”
The 28-year old was also quick to praise Yuzvendra Chahal, who looked the only bright spot in the bowling, as the young leg-spinner has looked like the real threat for the English players.
“I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN HIM (CHAHAL). PLAYS WITH ME IN RCB. BOWLS WITH THE NEW BALL THERE AS WELL WITH MID-ON AND MID-OFF UP. HE HAS THE WICKET-TAKING ABILITY AND IS CONFIDENT IN HIS SKILLS. HE’S THE GUY WHO PULLED US BACK IN THE GAME. YOUNGSTER SHOWING CHARACTER IS ALWAYS A POSITIVE SIGN.”
Despite losing the match, Virat Kohli remained positive as he has backed his side to enjoy the T20 series after playing some extraordinary cricket throughout the season. He has also insisted that senior players should take the burden off the juniors in the team.
“THIS IS A FORMAT YOU NEED TO ENJOY AND HAVE TO PLAY AT YOUR INTENSE BEST. THE OPPOSITION CAN UPSET YOU AT ANY STAGE AS WE HAVE SEEN IN T20 CRICKET. I THINK WE HAVE PLAYED SOME REALLY GOOD CRICKET THIS SEASON AND DESERVE TO ENJOY THESE T20S. WE HAVE A YOUNG SIDE, IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO ENJOY. IT’S UP TO US SENIORS TO TAKE THE LOAD OFF THEM.”