IND vs NZ | Our fielding not yet international standards, insists Virat Kohli
After facing the first ODI whitewash in 31 years, Virat Kohli has stated that India's fielding was not good enough for international cricket and didn't really deserve to be on the winning side. Kohli also acknowledged that the Kiwi team played with a lot more composure after the T20I loss.
Virat Kohli's legacy as a skipper has been an unmatched one in Indian cricket history, with the Delhite approaching a level of respect that few else has achieved over the years. While that was well and good, it suffered a major blip in New Zealand, with the team losing to New Zealand 3-0 - suffering the first ODI whitewash in 31 years. While New Zealand were superior in all three accounts, India's fielding was the major point of concern, something that fielding coach R Sridhar had acknowledged a couple of days ago. Virat Kohli reiterated the same once again, stating that India's fielding wasn't good enough for international cricket.
"I think the first match, we were pretty much in the contest. All three games, the composure and the way we fielded wasn't good enough for international cricket. In the field, we weren't good enough at all. Didn't deserve to be on the winning side at all this series. Haven't played so badly, but we didn't grab opportunities," Kohli said in the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.
Experience was the keyword for New Zealand this series, with Ross Taylor spearheading the batting line-up with surgical precision. The Wellington born veteran Kiwi cricketer scored as many as 194 runs in the series, being dismissed once in the process, and rightfully bagged the man of the series award. Tom Latham and Henry Nicholls also stood up when mattered to ensure a tag-team effort to erase the horror memories of the T20 series.
"We played really well in the T20 series, here in the ODIs, a couple of new guys, good experience for them. They played with a lot more intensity after the T20 series. They deservedly won 3-0," Kohli added.
With the honours of ODIs and T20Is being shared 1-1, now the focus shifts to the two-match Test series, starting February 21 in Wellington. Kohli is all excited for the rubber.
"I think because of the Test Championship, every match has that more importance. We have a really balanced Test team and we feel we can win the series here, but we need to step on to the park with the right kind of mindset," the Indian skipper concluded.
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