Indian skipper Virat Kohli admitted that it was a below-par batting performance by the Men in Blue but insisted that the team will keep experimenting ahead of the T20 World Cup. He also added that the pitch was not easy to bat freely and the batting unit lacked clarity, which they will work on.
The Indian batting tanked big time in the T20I series opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium as they could merely make 124 after being asked to bat first by the visitors. India tried to adopt an aggressive approach but soon were reduced to 3/2 which turned into 48 for 4 by the end of the first 10 overs. The hosts’ batsmen were undone by the pace and bounce of the wicket. It turned out to be an easy chase for England and they did it with eight wickets in hand with 27 balls to spare.
Indian skipper Virat Kohli reckoned that the team was clueless as to how to go about their batting in the game and felt it was a below-par batting display.
“We just weren’t aware enough of what to do on that kind of pitch. Lack of execution of some of the shots. We have to come back with much more intent and clarity of plan. The wicket did not allow you to play the kind of shots you wanted to. It was a below par batting performance and England made us pay,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.
The 32-year-old also praised Shreyas Iyer, the lone half-centurion for India and added that ups and downs are part of the game.
“We looked to try few things but as a batting side you have to accept that we didn’t bat well. Shreyas batted well but we did not have enough runs on the board. It is part of a journey of international cricket. You will have your ups and down but you have to back your game. For me it is about going out there and be positive,” he said.
He signed off by saying that India will be experimenting in the upcoming games well.
“We take a lot of pride in playing good white-ball cricket, we have won the previous series and the series before that. We just have these five games before the T20 World Cup, so we need to experiment but having said that, we have to ensure we don’t take things lightly.”
