India vs South Africa | “Outstanding” MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey got us close to 190, says Virat Kohli
After the loss in the second T20I in Centurion, Virat Kohli admitted that India had been looking at a score of 175 and credited MS Dhoni and Manish Pandey in getting the side close to the 190-run mark. Kohli also credited the South Africans for the way they managed to chase down the 189-run target.
After an incredible run of form in the limited overs series, where India dominated almost every game from the first ball to the last, India
However, riding on Heinrich Klaasen and JP Duminy’s 49-ball 93 run stand, South Africa managed to chase down the target with consummate ease.
“Tough one for the bowlers. We were looking at 175 with the loss of early wickets. Manish and Raina batted well initially. Manish and MS were outstanding to get to 190. I thought that was a winning total,” Kohli said at the presentation ceremony after the game.Â
“But the constant drizzle made it difficult from the 12th over onwards. Credit to the SA batsmen. Klaasen and Duminy really batted well. They were very positive.”Â
While refusing to blame the constant drizzle that was evident throughout the game, Kohli did reveal that the pitch settled down in the latter part of the South African innings which was an advantage for the hosts. The Indian skipper, however, voiced his happiness on the fact that the game had not been stopped at any point and the crowd got to enjoy an entire game of cricket.
“Good from the spectator point of view. You don't want the play to be stopped. Once the game was continued in the first innings, we knew it was going to be continued throughout. You don't mind these things. We didn't have problems with that. There was a constant drizzle, wasn't too drastic at any stage. It was fine to play in. Not just the case with the short boundary, the ball travels here anyway,” Kohli explained.
“With the drizzle, the wicket settled down. The ball was difficult to grip too. They took calculated risks. They targeted the short boundary and it came off for them. They deserve to win. We expect them to show some fight. They showed the passion which is needed to win games of cricket. They deserved to win tonight.”
