Virat Kohli: Virat Kohli’s India got off to a rocky start to the T20 World Cup campaign when they suffered a major defeat in their opener against Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai.
Although Kohli came to the team’s aid with the club and scored 57 of 49 balls, he was unable to maintain India’s perfect record against Pakistan in the exhibition event.
Before the start of the competition, India had maintained an undefeated streak against its neighbors Pakistan, both T20 and ODI, in world championships.
After being invited to strike first, Shaheen Afridi greeted India at an impressive rate as he dismissed informants Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul within the power plays.
Kohli then showed some resistance in the middle as India managed to put a respectable 151/7 on the board after 20 overs.
In response, the Pakistan opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played some fantastic shots. And helped their side close the contest with more than two overs to spare.
Sharing insights on what went wrong for the Men In Blue. Skipper Virat Kohli remarked that Pakistan`s execution on the field was the main difference between the two sides.
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“We didn’t execute properly. Credit where it’s due and Pakistan outplayed us today. They started brilliantly with the ball, and 3 wickets for 20 runs was not a good start. We needed wickets early but with the bat, they gave us absolutely no chances.,” Kohli told host broadcaster Star Sports after the game ended.
“It played slow in the first half and hitting through the line. Was not that easy as it was in the second half, after 10 overs. We needed those 15-20 extra runs and for that. We needed a good start but Pakistan’s bowling didn’t allow us to get those extra runs,” he added.
Kohli also dismissed the idea of using an extra slow bowler. Claiming the move would have been ineffective due to the baptism factor. “We could make the argument of getting in another slower bowler. But it’s important to stay composed and understand our strengths because with the dew the slower bowlers couldn’t be effective either. This is just the first game of the tournament, not the last,” Kohli said.
This was the first time that India lost a T20I by ten windows. Coincidentally, this was also the first time that Pakistan won a T20I with ten wickets. India will face New Zealand on October 31 (Sunday) while Pakistan will face the same opponent on October 26 (Tuesday).
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