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Virat Kohli and Eoin Morgan
Skipper Virat Kohli admitted that lack of execution by India’s batting unit led to a thumping eight-wicket defeat in the T20I series opener on Friday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Kohli said that a below-par batting performance led to India’s defeat in the first T20I of the five-game series.
After being put to bat first, India were restricted to 124/7 by a disciplined England bowling attack in Ahmedabad. Only Shreyas Iyer (67 off 48 deliveries) managed to offer resistance in the middle as Indian batsmen tried to make of it. Pacer Jofra Archer, who plucked three wickets including KL Rahul early in the innings, was the pick of England bowlers.
“We just weren’t aware enough of what to do on that kind of pitch. Lack of execution of some of the shots. We have to come back with much more intent and clarity of plan. The wicket did not allow you to play the kind of shots you wanted to. It was a below-par batting performance and England made us pay,” said Kohli in the post-match presentation.
“We looked to try few things but as a batting side you have to accept that we didn’t bat well. Shreyas batted well but we did not have enough runs on the board. It is part of a journey of international cricket,” he added.
After restricting India to a modest total, England chased down the 125-run target in 15.3 overs to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. Kohli himself had a forgetful day in the bat, falling to leg-spinner Adil Rashid and registering a duck.
Kohli said that ups and downs are a part of the game but one has to back his game and stay positive.
“You will have your ups and down but you have to back your game. For me, it is about going out there and be positive. We take a lot of pride in playing good white-ball cricket, we have won the previous series and the series before that.
“We just have these five games before the T20 World Cup, so we need to experiment but having said that, we have to ensure we don’t take things lightly,” concluded the skipper.
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