Birmingham: Indian captain Virat Kohli said he ‘felt like a club batter’ when teammate Yuvraj Singh was in full flow in the ICC Champions Trophy game against Pakistan here. He credited the left-hander for taking the pressure off him.
Kohli smashed a 68-delivery unbeaten 81 while Yuvraj played a scintillating knock of 53 off only 32 deliveries, helping India to win the game by 124 runs.
“The way he (Yuvraj) was hitting the ball, I felt like a club batter in front of him,” Kohli told reporters at the post-match press conference late Sunday night here at Edgbaston.
“…after I got to 50, I wasn’t able to play freely. And Yuvi came in and just took all the pressure off me. And the way he batted was the way only he can strike the ball, hitting low full tosses for fours and sixes, and even digging out yorkers for fours was outstanding.
“I think that really deflated the opposition and that gave me a bit of time to settle in from the other end. When he got out, I took over. But I think his innings made a difference in the game,” Kohli added.
While he was pleased with the win, Kohli was not impressed with India’s fielding. “With the bat and ball, right up there – I would say nine out of 10. In the field we were still six. We need to tighten our fielding to compete hard against the best teams,” Kohli pointed out.
Kohli was also all praise for the openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma. “I think the way Shikhar batted was really good to see. Rohit was taking a bit of time because, understandably so, he’s come back after so long to international cricket. He was playing the IPL but then, international runs are very different, against a quality bowling attack as well,” Kohli said.
“And Hardik, 18 off five balls, was outstanding. We went with four seamers purely because we’re playing Pakistan. They play spin really well, and most of them are right-handers. Against other sides, we might use two spinners, depending on their strengths,” he added.
Asked what it meant to play against Pakistan given the continuing tensions between the two countries, Kohli chose to be diplomatic.
“This one’s done and dusted…We come here to play the sport. And that’s all we focus on. It’s not my place to speak of any other decisions. The higher officials take care of those matters,” he pointed out. “It’s not preferences over opposition. And that’s all I can say to this.”
Press Trust of India
