Test World Cup Final: Virat Kohli defended India’s decision to play two spinners in the Test World Cup final against New Zealand, saying Jadeja and Ashwin would have gotten stronger without the weather disruptions.
Virat Kohli-led India lost by 8 wickets in WTC final against New Zealand on Wednesday (AP Image)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Virat Kohli had no problem with his choice to play XI for the WTC final against New Zealand
- Kohli defended his decision to play against both Jadeja and Ashwin in the final
- While Ashwin chose 4 wickets in the match, Jadeja only managed to select 1
Virat Kohli said he has not regretted playing XI and then opting for the bowling attack New Zealand went wild home to an 8 wicket win over India in the final of the first World Test Championship Finals in Southampton on Wednesday.
Virat Kohli defended the team’s decision to play 2 weirdos in Southampton and said it was a unanimous decision. Kohli also said rain and poor light have been falling after India has been deployed to take away his team’s chance to gain momentum. After day one washed out, India got off to a good start on day two after Kane Williamson won the toss, but the game was abandoned earlier than planned due to poor light.
“The first day was washed out and when the game started again it was difficult to get momentum. We only lost three wickets but we could have done more runs if the game had continued without the interruptions,” said Virat Kohli at the post award ceremony of the game.
Virat Kohli said the lack of a fast bowling all-rounder meant India came into play with its most experienced team.
“You need a fast bowling all-rounder for that. We have been successful with this combination under various conditions. We thought this was our best combination and we had pitch too and if there was more playing time the weirdos would have come more into play, ”he said.
Hardik Pandya was not called up on the test team because he hasn’t bowled much lately and India hasn’t even named Shardul Thakur in the 15 squad for the WTC final. Thakur, who had impressed with bat and ball in the Brisbane Test, was left out in favor of two spinners.
Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin add depth to the punching department, but neither man has done much with the bat.
Additionally, while R Ashwin chose 4 wickets in the match, Jadeja chose only one when sacking Tim Southee in the first innings.
Virat Kohli also congratulated New Zealand on their historic triumph, saying they showed a lot of heart to claim victory in a rainy friendly.
“… Congratulations to Kane and the whole team. They have shown great consistency and heart to get a result in just over three days, and they stuck to their procedures to put pressure on us. They did that Deserved victory. “
Also read | Another ICC tournament, another heartbreak: India’s title drought continues
Click here for IndiaToday.in’s full coverage of the corona pandemic.
एक टिप्पणी भेजें