India captain Virat Kohli yesterday defended his decision to bowl on a flat track and said a lucky reprieve for centurion Fakhar Zaman proved to be a costly one in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan yesterday
India captain Virat Kohli yesterday defended his decision to bowl on a flat track and said a lucky reprieve for centurion Fakhar Zaman proved to be a costly one in the Champions Trophy final against Pakistan yesterday.
"Small margins can be massive but we've only lost a game of cricket, we need to move forward and learn from our mistakes. The pitch was consistent throughout, we backed our strengths (to chase)," said Kohli after Pakistan outplayed India by 180 runs to win their maiden ICC Champions Trophy. Zaman was batting on four when he edged one to MS Dhoni before the umpires checked that bowler Jasprit Bumhrah had overstepped. Kohli also said he backed his boys to chase in the title clash.
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"We can't take anyone lightly but they were more intense and passionate on the day. With the ball, we could have had a few more wicket-taking opportunities. We tried to do out best, but even with the ball, they were aggressive, while we didn't show any resistance apart from Hardik, who's knock was outstanding," he said.
Despite the heavy loss, Kohli had a smile on his face. "I want to congratulate Pakistan, they had an amazing tournament. The way they turned things around speaks volumes about the talent they have," Kohli added.
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