IND vs NZ | Came out to bat in the super over because of my experience, reveals Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, on the back of his side’s second super-over win in as many games, revealed that he sent himself to open with Rahul in the super over owing to his experience in handling crunch situations. After India were set 14 to win the super over, the duo of Kohli and Rahul took the visitors home.
After a nerve-wracking finale in Hamilton, which saw Rohit Sharma smash two sixes off the last ball to guide India home, India and New Zealand were involved in yet another super-over as the duo of Ross Taylor and Tim Seifert, once again, failed to take the team over the line. And after the Kiwis set India a target of 14 to win the game, it was Virat Kohli and KL Rahul who walked in to bat for the Men in Blue and took the visitors home, thereby helping the team take a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
But skipper Kohli, in an interesting revelation, stated that the original plan was to send in Rahul and Samson to bat, but he changed his mind and came ahead of the Rajasthan Royals man owing to his experience in dealing with crunch situations.Â
“Initially Sanju and KL were supposed to go given they can strike the ball well, but I went in because I was more experienced and in a pressure situation it was important for me to handle things,” Kohli revealed in the post-match presentation, reported Cricbuzz.
“The two strikes off the first two balls were important and then I thought I'd get the ball in the gaps and get the job done. I haven't been part of a super-over for too long but happy to have got my team across.”
With New Zealand having the game at their mercy for the second time in as many matches, needing 18 of 18 balls to win the match at one point, the encounter was a test of patience and captaincy for Kohli, one that he passed with flying colours. Reflecting on the win, the Indian skipper revealed that he’d learnt something new, that of staying calm and patient and eventually pouncing on the opportunity once it arrives. Furthermore, Kohli also praised the character showed by the entire team.
“There's something new that I've learnt, that you've just got to stay calm in the game, observe what's happening and if the opportunity comes then you capitalize on it. The fans couldn't have asked for a better finish in two consecutive games.Â
“We hadn't played super-over before, and now we have played two back to back. It feels good when you're out of the game and get yourself back in, it really shows the character of the team.”
With India already having wrapped up the series prior to the start of today’s encounter, the team rested the trio of Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Shami and Ravindra Jadeja, giving Sanju Samson, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar a go. Kohli lavished praise on the trio and attested that he, as a captain, was extremely proud and content with the way the team performed.Â
“I thought Sanju was fearless. This was his chance to take things away. I think Washy has played a lot, and Saini rushed the batsmen. We didn't read the pitch well, after the first six he got carried away. Everyone looked to be in good head-space. We were playing well in the situation looking at how well the opposition played. We are very proud of how we went about our business today.”
