T20 WC brand ambassador Yuvraj backs Rohit & Virat in squad
Karthik started the last T20 World Cup in Australia as India’s designated keeper before losing his spot ahead of the team’s semifinal defeat to England.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Saturday heaped praises on his bowlers after a record 90-run win over New Zealand in the second One Day International (ODI) match of the five-match series. The match was played at the Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.
Batting first, Team India posted a challenging total of 324 runs for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 50 overs. In reply, New Zealand were bowled out for 234 runs in 40.2 overs as they could not withstand a strong and disciplined bowling performance from the Indian bowlers.
With this win, India have taken a 2-0 lead in the ongoing ODI series.
Advertisement
“Clinical performance again. We had a par score as Rohit mentioned with the kind of pitch and boundary dimensions here. But we bowled really well and back-to-back clinical performances is really pleasing,” Kohli said after the match.
“They are always ready to bowl for you and pick wickets, which is the key. They are not content to go wicketless for 40 runs in their quota. They’d rather have more wickets for 60. That mindset is crucial for us,” Kohli added.
During India’s batting, the visitors reached the 170-run mark in the 30th over. However, after that, they lost the momentum and the run rate dropped a bit. With the International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI World Cup just a couple of months away, the 30-year-old asserted that the Indian batsmen need to learn how to maintain momentum.
“I made a conscious effort after the second drinks break to take some risks. Once I got out, the new batsman had to take time. These are the things we need to look into with the World Cup nearby. We would like to score those 15-20 runs extra but at the same time, good to see us chip our way to a balanced total,” Kohli said.
Advertisement
