Following their first ODI loss, India's star performing batsman Virat Kohli believes that the team can make a comeback in the second ODI againt new Zealand in Hamilton today
Hamilton: Virat Kohli scored a sparkling 123 off 111 balls on Sunday in Napier but it wasn’t enough to take India to victory. Despite the vice-captain’s gutsy knock, the visitors fell short by 24 runs to start the ODI series on the back-foot. Yesterday, he said his fellow batsmen will need to be more “responsible” if they are to make a comeback in the second one-day international here today.
Virat Kohli en route his 111-ball 123 against New Zealand in Napier on Sunday. Pic/AFP
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“It would have been better if we had won, but it has been a positive start for us and I am sure that going forward, we will bat more responsibly and get into good positions,” Kohli who scored his 18th ton in ODIs was quoted as saying by PTI.
Kohli was happy with his performance, saying: “It felt very good batting in the last match. The good thing is that we got time to prepare, so mentally I was in the right space. We practised for about five days before the series started and it really helped me to set up my plans and play according to the conditions and the sort of bowling that we are going to be facing from New Zealand throughout the series.”
Virat likes chasing
Kohli has scored 12 tons when chasing and he has led the team towards the finishing line on 11 previous occasions. Some would consider chasing as added pressure but not this 25-year-old. “While chasing, you know how many runs you need to get and that is something I have always taken as a positive.
Because that way I can analyse situations and figure out at what stage of the innings I need to score how many runs and what I need to do to put the team in a strong position at that particular moment. It’s more like having a target ahead of you and breaking it down is a lot easier as far as I am concerned.”
India’s batting order collapsed with four batsmen going down to their age-old problem of facing short length deliveries. “It’s a personal choice of any team, what sort of plan they want to come up with against us. I think a lot of teams have tried to bounce us out but that hasn’t been the case for the longest time that I have seen,” he said of the Kiwi bowling attack and tactic.
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