IND vs WI | Performances of Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant very good signs for team, asserts Virat Kohli

12/15/2019

After losing the first ODI, Virat Kohli has stated that there were a lot of positives to take away from the match, especially the way Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer batted. The Indian skipper has also shared his displeasure on the Ravindra Jadeja run-out incident that created a controversy of sorts.

During the toss, on a completely two-paced wicket, Virat Kohli was happy to bat first that he felt would be “broken down to spikes” in the run-chase but the reality was completely different. Batting was extremely difficult in the first couple of hours, with Windies pacers keeping things tight from both ends.

Only Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer managed to stick together with a kind of restraint that was rare in the former. It was a display of maturity as the Delhi capitals duo went on to secure the first and fifth ODI half-centuries of their respective career, helping India get to a formidable position. Virat Kohli applauded the duo in the post-match presentation, calling it “very good signs” for Indian cricket team going forward.

“I think myself and Rohit not clicking today gave an opportunity for two youngsters to claim a spot. They played very smartly on a slow pitch. We thought six bowling options will be good enough, especially with the pitch being slow and Kedar as an option. But it played differently under lights. I think they batted really well, you can't take that out of the equation. But I think the ball wasn't holding enough for the fast bowlers,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation, reported ESPN Cricinfo.

It was a complete mess of sorts 48th over when umpire Shaun George declared Ravindra Jadeja not-out but once the replay was on the big-screen, someone saw that Jadeja was an inch short of completing the single. All Windies players asked for an explanation from the umpire and after that, George referred to the third umpire who declared the all-rounder out. It brought about an animated reaction from Virat Kohli who was not happy at all with the decision taken. On being asked about his stance on the same, Kohli minced no words.

“The thought is simple, the fielder asked 'how is that' and the umpire said 'not out'. The dismissal ends there. The people sitting on the TV outside cannot tell the fielders to then tell the umpire to review it again. I've never seen that happen in cricket. I don't know where the rules are, where the line is drawn. I think the referee and the umpires have to take that up, see that incident again. And figure out what needs to be done in cricket. People sitting outside can't dictate what happens on the field. I think that's exactly what happened there,” the Indian skipper added.

With Windies being 1-0 up in the series, the matches in Vizag and Cuttack are now do-or-die encounter for India to win the series 2-1.