IND vs AUS | Australia were even better than last time, admits Virat Kohli
BCCI
Virat Kohli, at the post-match presentation, admitted that this touring Australia side is even better than the one that defeated the hosts 3-2 in 2019. The Indian skipper, who scored 89 runs off 91 in the series decider in Bengaluru, has been awarded the Man of the Series title for his show.
As the Indian team awaits their flight to New Zealand in less than two weeks for the series starting on January 24, Virat Kohli’s men comfortably defeated the Australian side at home. The Indian captain amassed 183 runs, including two fifty-plus scores in both won games, averaging 61 with the bat. After having lost the series opener of the three-match ODI contest by ten wickets, Kohli’s team bounced back and sealed the series 2-1 with two fairly comfortable wins.
As a proud captain, Kohli expressed his excitement towards the achievement and also the momentum gained ahead of the New Zealand challenge. Meanwhile, he also credited Aaron Finch’s men, who seemed even more potent than the time they beat India in their den by a margin of 3-2 ahead of the 2019 ICC World Cup. That time, Steve Smith and David Warner - two of Australia’s mainstays- were serving their bans imposed by the ICC as a fallout to the Sandpapergate.
“Australia were even better than last time. There's Steve, David and Marnus. Coming back and winning the last two games after losing the first one, is very satisfying. Getting one back given that we lost the series at home last year is really satisfying,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation.
While India lost the services for Shikhar Dhawan, who injured himself while fielding in the first innings, it was Rohit Sharma (119 off 128), and Kohli who sailed the boat for India in their 287-run chase. The skipper hailed the experience of the side in how they handled the tricky situations in the series decider.Â
“We're quite experienced, Rohit and I, and we were short of Shikhar's experience. We got a good start, it was a tricky situation when KL got out. All Australia want are wickets. Rohit played beautifully today before I took over. It's important to make sure one guy continues to bat till the end and takes us over the line. It's important to practice in the nets, but it's important to be okay mentally and press forward. I'm not worried about the short ball, and trust my technique to take over. You need to have a clear and uncluttered mind,” Kohli added.
