None would have expected such a poor show from the Indian National Cricket Team. The heroic knock from Ravindra Jadeja went in vain as the Kiwis bowlers and the fielding department did the job for the team when it mattered the most. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli sheds light on the loss in the knock-out stage.
Speaking of the loss, Virat Kohli quoted that New Zealand was superb with their skills. He feels that the bowlers did a fantastic job with the new ball, which helped the team to make things fall in place. The Indian skipper stressed the fact that they would have been on the right if they won a few close moments.
”We thought we had restricted New Zealand to a chase-able score on any surface but the way they come out with the ball in the first half-an-hour was what made the difference. We knew we had a good day yesterday and were proud of it. Credit to the New Zealand bowlers, they were really good with the new ball and hit the right areas. I think it was the skill level on display (from NZ bowlers) was there for all to see,” Virat Kohli said.
Jadeja had a couple of good games – Virat Kohli
Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat when India had lost Hardik Pandya for 32 in the 31st over of their 240-run chase at Old Trafford on the reserve day of the World Cup 2019 semi-final after rain played spoilsport on Tuesday.
Jadeja joined MS Dhoni when India was reeling at 92 for 6 but the left-hander played with a lot of positive intent from the word go to keep India’s hopes alive. Jadeja and Dhoni kept putting pressure on the New Zealand fielders as the two kept stealing the extra run whenever possible.
”I think Jadeja had a really good couple of games and it’s his performance today that’s a huge positive for his skill-set. MS had a good partnership with him, and again a game of small margins, run out by a small margin. Always feels bad when you play well all tournament and then 45 minutes of bad cricket puts you out. New Zealand deserves it, they put us under more pressure.”
Shot selection was bad:
Speaking of the negatives, Virat Kohli quoted that the shot selection would have been much better to make things happen. However, he is proud of the way they have played throughout the tournament.
”At times, I think our shot-selection could have been better. Otherwise, we played a really good brand of cricket. Really proud of the way we competed throughout the tournament. As I said, come the knockouts, it’s anyone’s game and New Zealand showed more composure. They were braver than us and deserve to win,” he concluded.
All in all, it was a tough day for the Indian team. They would have seen themselves in the finals if they approached the chase in a positive way. In the end, as Virat Kohli said, the deserving team won the game.